[How it Works](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/how-it-works/) [Bookshop](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/books/bindery/) [Publishing](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/publishing/) [Team](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/team/) [Contact](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/contact/) Log in or Sign up A Dance of Lies Brittney Arena Save to Your Books [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/84500/9780593973196) [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593973194?tag=chronicallybookish-20) 100% of affiliate revenue supports chronicallybookish A debut fantasy romance filled with hope after heartbreak, secrets, and betrayal, as a dancer-turned-spy must decide how far she will go to secure her freedom. My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I’m no princess bound within a tower. I am a shadow. Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian’s court, until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she’s suddenly called to face her king. He offers her a deal: become his spy at the six-week royal Gathering and he’ll grant her freedom. As Illian’s orders grow bloody and dangerous, forcing her to harm and betray those around her, Vasalie discovers that the monster she serves may be aligned with a bigger monster—one far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian’s brother and greatest adversary, the infamous King of the East. As the rivalry between brothers escalates, with Vasalie caught in the middle, the horrifying truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust, who to fight for, and how much of her soul she’s willing to damn in the process. Show more Get the Bindery app * * * Posts about this title from chronicallybookish [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Sep 1 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [Hey hi hello and welcome to a running list of every book with disability representation that I’ve read so far this year–and what I thought of them!\\ \\ As of right now, the list starts in July, but I’ll be slowly filling in the prior months as I get a chance.\\ \\ **You Started It by Jackie Khaliliah** _IBS, anxiety, and undiagnosed autism representation (all own voices)_\\ \\ _4.75 stars_\\ \\ I started off the month with an audiobook of You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh which I absolutely adored! Khalilieh’s debut is a favorite and her sophomore novel lived up to my expectations and more. These characters were so messy in a way that so perfectly encapsulates teenagerhood, especially neurodivergent teenagerhood. Jamie was so easy to love and root for that I was watching through my fingers as she made the most terrible decisions–but they were decisions that made perfect sense for her character. I cannot wait to see what Khalilieh does next!\\ \\ **Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll** _dyspraxia representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4 stars_\\ \\ Like a Charm is a sweet middle grade fantasy about a neurodivergent girl who discovers the existence of magic when her grandfather wills her a magic book upon his passing. It was fast paced and reminiscent of many of my own favorite childhood books. There were some aspects of the magic system, and how it was tied to neurodivergence that I was unclear on. There were a few times when characters spoke of neurodivergence and magic being the same, and I could not tell if it was meant in the way that “they are similar because both cause you to be othered by society and see the world differently than everyone else” or if it was meant in a literal “neurodivergence is magic and neurodivergence is caused by being a witch” the latter of which falls under the mystical minority/mystical disabled character trope, of which I am not typically a fan. I’m hoping this will be clarified in the second book–and that it is more in line with the former.\\ \\ **A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena** _chronic pain, dizziness, and fatigue representation (inspired by the author’s experiences with EDS, POTS, and other disabilities)_\\ \\ _2.5 stars_\\ \\ This book was a highly anticipated release, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. It was an interesting premise with a lot going on, but the execution was shallow. I never connected to either romantic subplot, the pacing was rushed, and the writing was overly flowery without actually describing anything. So many abstract metaphors and almost no grounding details.\\ \\ I enjoyed the disability representation in the beginning, but as the book went on that aspect became almost nonexistent. While it was clear that while the author was writing from a place of lived experience, she lacked the skill to balance the disability representation with the plot and character arcs, and that left the representation feeling shallow and at times haphazard (please note I say this as somebody with many of the same disabilities).\\ \\ _Full review_ _HERE_\\ \\ **I’ll Pretend You’re Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan** _anxiety representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4 stars_\\ \\ This was such a cute, fun, and easy to fly through YA romance! The anxiety representation was definitely more on the back burner here, but it was still a present part of the story. I loved that the book acknowledges that Summer’s anxiety is “high functioning” while still showing how it affects her on a day to day basis in her relationships and career.\\ \\ **Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang** _limb difference and chronic illness representation_\\ \\ _2.75 stars_\\ \\ This is another one with an interesting premise and lackluster execution. The scope of this story is far too much to accomplish in 150-odd pages. It felt more like the outline of a novel than a completed novella. The disability representation in this one is essentially non-existant. In the first chapter, our main character suffers an injury that permanently costs her the mobility in her dominant hand, only for it to pretty much never be mentioned again for the rest of the book.\\ \\ **If We Survive This by Racquel Marie** _OCD representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4.25 stars_\\ \\ Racquel Marie’s zombie apocalypse road trip novel starring a main character with contamination OCD was…hard to read. In the sense that it was so incredibly well written that Flora’s anxiety and OCD were visceral and far too similar to my own. I read this in one sitting, my skin crawling the entire time, because I could not put it down until I knew what happened. Racquel Marie is a master of character, which I had known from her YA contemporaries, but her world building, pacing, and plotting were flawless in an apocalyptic world as well.\\ \\ **True Biz by Sara Nović** _Deaf representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4 stars_\\ \\ True Biz is a contemporary, borderline literary, fiction novel set at a school for the Deaf that immerses the reader in Deaf culture. It’s a timely, politically driven story that is deeply character focused as well. I am not someone who is very familiar with Deaf culture, and I loved learning more about that throughout this book as well as connecting with the cast of characters.The anarchist elements did lose me at a few points, I wasn’t entirely sure what Nović was trying to say in those instances, but overall I enjoyed this one.\\ \\ **For One Night Only by Jessica James**(Glitter Bats #1) _anxiety representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _3.5 stars_\\ \\ For someone who doesn’t tend to love celebrity romances, I did in fact read three of them this month (I’ll Pretend You’re Mine, this one, and Some Kind of Famous), though this was the weakest of the group. I enjoyed the anxiety representation here, though I found it a bit difficult to connect with at times, as I generally found the _characters_ in this one a bit rote and difficult to connect with. I can’t quite put a finger on what fell flat for me here, I was simply left unsatisfied.\\ \\ **Accidental Demons by Clare Edge**(Accidental Demons #1) _type one diabetes representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _3.75 stars_\\ \\ The premise of this book–a preteen blood witch who has just come into her powers _and_ just been diagnosed with T1D keeps accidentally summoning demons every time she tests her blood sugar–was so clever and the execution was exactly what you would want in a middle grade novel, fast paced and engaging with a heartfelt focus on friendship, family, and coming-of-age.\\ \\ **Fighting Spirit by Anna Harrison** _ADHD representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _3 stars_\\ \\ Have you ever been called out by the rep in a book? Because that was me when Ruth was talking about how she doesn’t use her ADHD accommodations because the paperwork overwhelms her (I really need to do that ASAP before the quarter starts…) This was a fast paced, fun, sports romance following a mascot and the QB of a rival college’s football team. I enjoyed the themes and premise of this story, but the connection between the characters was ultimately a little lacking. I wanted a bit less forward progression and more time spent really diving into the emotional interiority of our characters.\\ \\ **A Smile in a Whisper by Jacqueline Middleton** _crohn’s disease representation_\\ \\ _3.25 stars_\\ \\ This was the second in a string of four underwhelming romances that I read for this challenge. This book felt like the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie with spice, and I’m not a fan of Hallmark movies. It was overly cheesy and oftentimes felt shallow and the connection between our main characters felt like it never developed beyond a schoolgirl crush. The writing itself felt very young, which made the explicit scenes feel out of place and almost uncomfortable. I did enjoy the chronic illness representation in this one. I thought that was the strongest aspect–though the way the past storyline culminated (and the way that reveal was handled in the present) was ridiculous.\\ \\ **A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson** _kidney disease representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _3.5 stars_\\ \\ I really enjoyed the chronic illness representation in this one–well, enjoyed may be the wrong word because it absolutely pissed me off how Laniah was treated by her doctors, but it portrayed that in such a realistic and far-too-relatable way. I enjoyed Laniah as a character and narrator as well, but as a romance, this book didn’t quite work for me. I found Issac’s character to be pretty one-dimensional, and never connected to his and Laniah’s relationship on either a platonic or romantic level. I felt like, for a romance novel, the two of them rarely shared page time. I think this story would have worked better as a contemporary/women’s fiction, because as a romance, it was lacking.\\ \\ **Love Flushed by Evie Mitchell**(All Access #1) _crohn’s disease representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _3 stars_\\ \\ At a little over 200 pages, this book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a novel or a novella, and thus the execution of plot, pacing, and character development was far too rushed. I really enjoyed Mitchell’s prose, and the crohn’s representation in this one was fantastic–I’ve read many books with crohn’s and colitis rep, but I have never read any that are so unafraid to get into the more “socially unacceptable” sides of IBD, and I think in order to have a truly realistic portrayal of the chronic illness, you need to be willing to go there. I wish that this book had another 100 pages fleshing out the plot and character work, because it had so much potential, but in the space allotted, there simply wasn’t time to adequately tackle everything that Mitchell tried to take on.\\ \\ **Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong** _multiple disabilities (all own voices)_\\ \\ I am not completely sure what I was expecting from this anthology. I’ve had it recommended to me more times than I can count, but the actual book itself was not quite what I expected. Some of the essays are personal stories, others are political calls-to-action. Some essays were easily accessible to the average reader, others were steeped in disability studies academic lingo. Overall I did enjoy the anthology, and I definitely recommend it, but I sometimes felt as if the essays didn’t quite feel cohesive as a collection.\\ \\ **The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs** _autism and chronic pain representation (both own voices)_\\ \\ _3.75 stars_\\ \\ This book started off so strong–the Legally Blonde references were fun easter eggs as I read, the world building was interesting, and I enjoyed the Gaelic inspiration and the fact that Jacobs actually used the Gaelic words and names instead of americanizing the fae mythos. I also appreciated how, from the beginning, we see Clía experiencing sensory overload in the crowded ball rooms she must navigate as princess. As the story went on, however, I found the pacing to be a bit too quick. This is a book that felt more like two 350-400 page novels edited down into one 500 page book, one plot beat after another, and much of the character depth and supporting storylines rushed or condensed in order to fit everything into one novel. That said, I did still enjoy my time reading it, and I am excited to see what Jacobs does in the future whether it is expanding this world, which was left open-ended, or creating a new one.\\ \\ **A Theory in Dreaming by Ava Reid**(A Study in Drowning #2) _depression, PTSD, and psychosis representation (all own voices)_\\ \\ _4.5 stars_\\ \\ I was not the biggest fan of A Study in Drowning, so my expectations for A Theory in Dreaming were pretty low. However, I ended up loving this book. Ava Reid’s prose is lush and evocative, but unlike in the first book of the series, it does not overshadow the characterwork or story but adds a layer of depth that further drew me in. There isn’t much I can say about this book without spoiling book one in the series, but I highly recommend this book–even if you didn’t love Study–however, _please_ check the trigger warnings before reading if you are sensitive to any potential mental health related triggers.\\ \\ **Some Kind of Famous by Ava Wilder** _addiction and BPD/c-PTSD representation_\\ \\ _4 stars_\\ \\ The characters in this book, especially Merritt, are so wonderfully, realistically messy. This has led to mixed reviews, but I thought it added so much to the story. Merritt felt like such a real, well developed character, and I was invested in unraveling her backstory and what led to the dissolution of her music career, and also in her current journey to finding love. I did find Merritt and Niko’s connection to be a bit on the shallower side, especially at first, relying a bit too heavily on instalust. I was never quite convinced of their actual feelings for each other, and most of my enjoyment of the book was motivated by Merritt as a character as opposed to the romantic story arc.\\ \\ _Full review_ _HERE_\\ \\ **Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson** _polycystic kidney disease, traumatic brain injury representation_\\ \\ _4.5 stars_\\ \\ I love a Holly Jackson murder mystery, and the premise of this one is truly unique–our MC solves her own murder after the “failed” attempt leaves her with seven days to live. It was absolutely twisty and while I figured out some of those twists, others left me guessing. I was fully engrossed and along for the ride–I read the whole book in one sitting, and yes, I did shed a couple tears.\\ \\ The disability rep in this one was decent as far as I could tell (I do not have PKD or a TBI), though it felt mostly utilitarian for the plot to work, and less like an effort to genuinely represent chronic illness/the disabled experience.\\ \\ **What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella** _brain cancer, memory loss, aphasia representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4 stars_\\ \\ Sophie Kinsella describes this book as a fictionalized take on her own story with glioblastoma, and that shows in the level of intimacy with which this story is told. What Does It Feel Like is a novel told in almost disjointed flashes of our main character Eve’s life as she navigates a new diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, and the effects that it, and the surgery to remove the tumor, have had on her memory and cognitive function. It’s a quiet, slow story, but it is very effective.\\ \\ **Fake Skating by Lynn Painter** _anxiety representation_\\ \\ _3.5 stars_\\ \\ This book is a classic YA romance–fast paced, saccharine sweet, and compulsively readable. I loved much of the dynamic, banter, and chemistry between Dani and Alec. I did appreciate the anxiety representation, especially how this is something that affects both Dani and her grandfather, though I wanted more from how she begins to learn to manage it other than “take deep breaths.” \\ \\ The story as a whole was cute and, for the most part, enjoyable. However, there were multiple plot points–including just about everything surrounding the third act conflict–that were so ridiculous that it made me not want to quit reading the book right then and there it was so underdeveloped and unrealistic.\\ \\ **Behooved by M. Stevenson** _chronic GI pain & nausea/celiac disease representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4 stars_\\ \\ Despite being a bit of a romantasy hater--I thoroughly enjoyed this quintessential romantasy book! Behooved really forefronts the romantic storyline, and makes it clear that the political element and worldbuilding are secondary, and so even though those elements were definitely on the weaker side, it wasn't an issue because they were not trying to be a driving force of the novel. I really enjoyed Bianca and Aric both individually and as a couple, and the focus on how neither of them are strong in the traditional sense that is valued in their world, but they are still strong nonetheless.\\ \\ The chronic illness representation in this one was definitely my favorite part--Bianca's symptoms are almost identical to my own, and the way they were woven into the narrative and her character was very well done. I wish we had seen her discover the "root cause" of her "poisoning" (aka celiac disease) on page and not just had it be explained in the author's note, but I do see how that wouldn't have worked within the pacing and timeframe of the novel.\\ \\ **Yumi and Monster by Kam Redlask** _GNE myopathy (muscle wasting disease)and mobility aid user representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _not rated_\\ \\ I don't have many young children in my life, so I almost never read picture books, which leaves me unsure of how to review this book. The artwork was gorgeous, the story didn't quite work for me--and I can't put a finger on why. I'm not sure how I feel about the framing of disability as a monster, even if it is a friendly one, and the narrative itself was odd--kind of amorphous and very metaphor-heavy with metaphors that didn't quite land for me, and that I think will go completely over a child's head. But again, I don't actually know much about children so I can't say that for certain.\\ \\ **Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage**(Rebel Blue Ranch #1) _anxiety,_ _ADHD representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4 stars_\\ \\ This is a book about anxiety and burnout, and despite seeing this book talked about _everywhere_ on TikTok, I've never seen anyone mention that before? Done and Dusted is a fast-paced, sweet, and sexy romance novel. The audiobook was under 7 hours. I think it suffers a bit for being so short, the pacing is a bit too fast to grapple with the themes that it has chosen quite as deeply as I wanted it to. A lot of Emmy's dealing with her anxiety and burnout seems to happen off page, or in split-second realizations, which left me feeling a bit rushed through her character development. However, I still really enjoyed her as a main character, and I thought she and Liam balanced well together. This was Lyla Sage's debut, and I think that shows, but I am looking forward to continuing this series and seeing how she grows as an author in her subsequent books.\\ \\ **Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman**(Unseelie #1) _autism (own voices)_\\ \\ _4.5 stars (reread)_\\ \\ I read Unseelie for the first time when the book released a few years back, and I had a lot of fun with it! I love Seelie, and I really enjoyed the care and detail that Ivelisse Housman included when representing Seelie's autism. The final book in this duology came out this month, and I knew I needed a reread in order to fully engage with it. On my first read, I'd had a few issues with the acing of the novel, but reading on audio this time around really helped smooth out that experience. I had a lot of fun revisting Seelie and co. and I'm excited to dive into book two soon!\\ \\ **Skalterra by Nightmare by M.T. Zimny**(Skalterra #1) _trichotillomania representation (own voices)_\\ \\ _4.5 stars_\\ \\ The premise of this book had me hooked from early on: a girl who is transported to an alternate world upon sleeping, and must embark on a dangerous journey in order to save that world and her own, while balancing her normal life during waking hours. The worldbuilding of Skalterra was fascinating, but Wren herself was the most compelling aspect of this book. I connected to her so deeply, and really enjoyed being in her head and watching her journey, both in Skalterra and the real world. I thought this was a standalone when I started it, and I must say I am slightly devastated to learn it is in fact a duology and I must now wait until the second book, but I'm excited to see what will happen.\\ \\ **The Game is Afoot by Elise Bryant**(Mavis Miller #2) _anxiety representation_\\ \\ _3.5 stars_\\ \\ This book did not quite live up to my expectations, unfortunately. While I really enjoyed Mavis's character growth in this story, how far she has come since the beginning of the story, and the themes of mental health and seeking help, I found the mystery--which is, of course, the main plot of a mystery novel--not especially compelling. I think this boils down to the fact that I didn't find any of the tertiary characters compelling. I cared about Mavis, of course, and her father, Pearl, and Cory, but pretty much every other character in this book--from Jack, to the victim, to every suspect--were underdeveloped and shallow. Jack felt like a cardboard cutout, which was so disappointing when I'd loved him in the first book, and every other character Mavis investigated lacked any depth beyond a basic stereotype. From MLM pushers to mommy bloggers to Coach Cole himself, they lacked all depth, and thus I did not care about what Mavis uncovered about them, and when a killer was revealed, their motivations were equally shallow, which was especially disappointing given the complex, nuanced reveal in It's Elementary.](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/McBOrcOXAy7dmFan5FkO/) [Mini Reviews: Every Book I’ve Read in 2025 With Disability Representation](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/McBOrcOXAy7dmFan5FkO/) * * * 26 books [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Aug 11 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [6-5-4-3-2-1 stars](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/AgpK2K23rBaGDwCDrEtB/) 6-5-4-3-2-1 Some books I’ve read in the last couple years that I rated 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 stars! It was SO hard to narrow down the 5 stars because there were sooooo many incredible books I wanted to include but I kept it to six—just know that it pained me greatly to do so. #bookstagram #books #sixstarbooks #fivestarbooks #fourstarbooks #threestarbooks #twostarbooks #onestarbooks #fantasybooks #fantasybookstagram #romancebooks #romancebookstagram * * * 31 books [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Aug 1 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [Disability Pride Month has come to a close, and that brings us to the end of this Readathon as well. Thank you all so much for participating–it’s been such a wonderful experience and everyone’s excitement has meant so much to me. \\ \\ I want to do a little wrap up of everything I read for the readathon, but first a few reminders:\\ \\ - **DON’T FORGET TO SUBMIT YOUR BINGOS!**\\ \\ \\ - The International Bingo Raffle closes for entries at 11:59pm PST TONIGHT AUGUST 1st! Books must have been finished by midnight yesterday, local time, but you have until tonight to submit your Bingo board to the #bingo channel on the discord!\\ \\ - If you do not have discord, you can send your Bingo board to me via email at kaleyreads@gmail.com instead.\\ \\ - This raffle is open internationally! If the winner is from the US or the UK it will be a $25 USD Bookshop.org giftcard, if they are from somewhere else it will likely be Amazon.\\ \\ - Remember–each book can count towards TWO prompts!\\ \\ \\ As for my own little wrap up–I managed a blackout! I read 17 total books this month, all of which featured disabled main characters. This was the most books I’ve read in a single month all year, so I am very proud of myself! Let’s get into the books:\\ \\ **You Started It by Jackie Khaliliah** _IBS, anxiety, and undiagnosed autism representation (all own voices)_\\ \\ I started off the month with an audiobook of You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh which I absolutely adored! Khalilieh’s debut is a favorite and her sophomore novel lived up to my expectations and more. These characters were so messy in a way that so perfectly encapsulates teenagerhood, especially neurodivergent teenagerhood. Jamie was so easy to love and root for that I was watching through my fingers as she made the most terrible decisions–but they were decisions that made perfect sense for her character. I cannot wait to see what Khalilieh does next!\\ \\ **Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll** _dyspraxia representation (own voices)_\\ \\ Like a Charm is a sweet middle grade fantasy about a neurodivergent girl who discovers the existence of magic when her grandfather wills her a magic book upon his passing. It was fast paced and reminiscent of many of my own favorite childhood books. There were some aspects of the magic system, and how it was tied to neurodivergence that I was unclear on. There were a few times when characters spoke of neurodivergence and magic being the same, and I could not tell if it was meant in the way that “they are similar because both cause you to be othered by society and see the world differently than everyone else” or if it was meant in a literal “neurodivergence is magic and neurodivergence is caused by being a witch” the latter of which falls under the mystical minority/mystical disabled character trope, of which I am not typically a fan. I’m hoping this will be clarified in the second book–and that it is more in line with the former.\\ \\ **A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena** _chronic pain, dizziness, and fatigue representation (inspired by the author’s experiences with EDS, POTS, and other disabilities)_\\ \\ This book was a highly anticipated release, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. It was an interesting premise with a lot going on, but the execution was shallow. I never connected to either romantic subplot, the pacing was rushed, and the writing was overly flowery without actually describing anything. So many abstract metaphors and almost no grounding details.\\ \\ I enjoyed the disability representation in the beginning, but as the book went on that aspect became almost nonexistent. While it was clear that while the author was writing from a place of lived experience, she lacked the skill to balance the disability representation with the plot and character arcs, and that left the representation feeling shallow and at times haphazard (please note I say this as somebody with many of the same disabilities).\\ \\ **I’ll Pretend You’re Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan** _anxiety representation (own voices)_\\ \\ This was such a cute, fun, and easy to fly through YA romance! The anxiety representation was definitely more on the back burner here, but it was still a present part of the story. I loved that the book acknowledges that Summer’s anxiety is “high functioning” while still showing how it affects her on a day to day basis in her relationships and career.\\ \\ **Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang** _limb difference and chronic illness representation_\\ \\ This is another one with an interesting premise and lackluster execution. The scope of this story is far too much to accomplish in 150-odd pages. It felt more like the outline of a novel than a completed novella. The disability representation in this one is essentially non-existant. In the first chapter, our main character suffers an injury that permanently costs her the mobility in her dominant hand, only for it to pretty much never be mentioned again for the rest of the book.\\ \\ **If We Survive This by Racquel Marie** _OCD representation (own voices)_\\ \\ Racquel Marie’s zombie apocalypse road trip novel starring a main character with contamination OCD was…hard to read. In the sense that it was so incredibly well written that Flora’s anxiety and OCD were visceral and far too similar to my own. I read this in one sitting, my skin crawling the entire time, because I could not put it down until I knew what happened. Racquel Marie is a master of character, which I had known from her YA contemporaries, but her world building, pacing, and plotting were flawless in an apocalyptic world as well.\\ \\ **True Biz by Sara Nović** _Deaf representation (own voices)_\\ \\ True Biz is a contemporary, borderline literary, fiction novel set at a school for the Deaf that immerses the reader in Deaf culture. It’s a timely, politically driven story that is deeply character focused as well. I am not someone who is very familiar with Deaf culture, and I loved learning more about that throughout this book as well as connecting with the cast of characters.The anarchist elements did lose me at a few points, I wasn’t entirely sure what Nović was trying to say in those instances, but overall I enjoyed this one.\\ \\ **For One Night Only by Jessica James** _anxiety representation (own voices)_\\ \\ For someone who doesn’t tend to love celebrity romances, I did in fact read three of them this month (I’ll Pretend You’re Mine, this one, and Some Kind of Famous), though this was the weakest of the group. I enjoyed the anxiety representation here, though I found it a bit difficult to connect with at times, as I generally found the _characters_ in this one a bit rote and difficult to connect with. I can’t quite put a finger on what fell flat for me here, I was simply left unsatisfied.\\ \\ **Accidental Demons by Clare Edge** _type one diabetes representation (own voices)_\\ \\ The premise of this book–a preteen blood witch who has just come into her powers _and_ just been diagnosed with T1D keeps accidentally summoning demons every time she tests her blood sugar–was so clever and the execution was exactly what you would want in a middle grade novel, fast paced and engaging with a heartfelt focus on friendship, family, and coming-of-age.\\ \\ **Fighting Spirit by Anna Harrison** _ADHD representation (own voices)_\\ \\ Have you ever been called out by the rep in a book? Because that was me when Ruth was talking about how she doesn’t use her ADHD accommodations because the paperwork overwhelms her (I really need to do that ASAP before the quarter starts…) This was a fast paced, fun, sports romance following a mascot and the QB of a rival college’s football team. I enjoyed the themes and premise of this story, but the connection between the characters was ultimately a little lacking. I wanted a bit less forward progression and more time spent really diving into the emotional interiority of our characters.\\ \\ **A Smile in a Whisper by Jacqueline Middleton** _crohn’s disease representation_\\ \\ This was the second in a string of four underwhelming romances that I read for this challenge. This book felt like the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie with spice, and I’m not a fan of Hallmark movies. It was overly cheesy and oftentimes felt shallow and the connection between our main characters felt like it never developed beyond a schoolgirl crush. The writing itself felt very young, which made the explicit scenes feel out of place and almost uncomfortable. I did enjoy the chronic illness representation in this one. I thought that was the strongest aspect–though the way the past storyline culminated (and the way that reveal was handled in the present) was ridiculous.\\ \\ **A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson** _kidney disease representation (own voices)_\\ \\ I really enjoyed the chronic illness representation in this one–well, enjoyed may be the wrong word because it absolutely pissed me off how Laniah was treated by her doctors, but it portrayed that in such a realistic and far-too-relatable way. I enjoyed Laniah as a character and narrator as well, but as a romance, this book didn’t quite work for me. I found Issac’s character to be pretty one-dimensional, and never connected to his and Laniah’s relationship on either a platonic or romantic level. I felt like, for a romance novel, the two of them rarely shared page time. I think this story would have worked better as a contemporary/women’s fiction, because as a romance, it was lacking.\\ \\ **Love Flushed by Evie Mitchell** _crohn’s disease representation (own voices)_\\ \\ At a little over 200 pages, this book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a novel or a novella, and thus the execution of plot, pacing, and character development was far too rushed. I really enjoyed Mitchell’s prose, and the crohn’s representation in this one was fantastic–I’ve read many books with crohn’s and colitis rep, but I have never read any that are so unafraid to get into the more “socially unacceptable” sides of IBD, and I think in order to have a truly realistic portrayal of the chronic illness, you need to be willing to go there. I wish that this book had another 100 pages fleshing out the plot and character work, because it had so much potential, but in the space allotted, there simply wasn’t time to adequately tackle everything that Mitchell tried to take on.\\ \\ **Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong** _multiple disabilities (all own voices)_\\ \\ I am not completely sure what I was expecting from this anthology. I’ve had it recommended to me more times than I can count, but the actual book itself was not quite what I expected. Some of the essays are personal stories, others are political calls-to-action. Some essays were easily accessible to the average reader, others were steeped in disability studies academic lingo. Overall I did enjoy the anthology, and I definitely recommend it, but I sometimes felt as if the essays didn’t quite feel cohesive as a collection.\\ \\ **The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs** _autism and chronic pain representation (both own voices)_\\ \\ This book started off so strong–the Legally Blonde references were fun easter eggs as I read, the world building was interesting, and I enjoyed the Gaelic inspiration and the fact that Jacobs actually used the Gaelic words and names instead of americanizing the fae mythos. I also appreciated how, from the beginning, we see Clía experiencing sensory overload in the crowded ball rooms she must navigate as princess. As the story went on, however, I found the pacing to be a bit too quick. This is a book that felt more like two 350-400 page novels edited down into one 500 page book, one plot beat after another, and much of the character depth and supporting storylines rushed or condensed in order to fit everything into one novel. That said, I did still enjoy my time reading it, and I am excited to see what Jacobs does in the future whether it is expanding this world, which was left open-ended, or creating a new one.\\ \\ **A Theory in Dreaming by Ava Reid** _depression, PTSD, and psychosis representation (all own voices)_\\ \\ I was not the biggest fan of A Study in Drowning, so my expectations for A Theory in Dreaming were pretty low. However, I ended up loving this book. Ava Reid’s prose is lush and evocative, but unlike in the first book of the series, it does not overshadow the characterwork or story but adds a layer of depth that further drew me in. There isn’t much I can say about this book without spoiling book one in the series, but I highly recommend this book–even if you didn’t love Study–however, _please_ check the trigger warnings before reading if you are sensitive to any potential mental health related triggers.\\ \\ **Some Kind of Famous by Ava Wilder** _addiction and BPD/c-PTSD representation_\\ \\ The characters in this book, especially Merritt, are so wonderfully, realistically messy. This has led to mixed reviews, but I thought it added so much to the story. Merritt felt like such a real, well developed character, and I was invested in unraveling her backstory and what led to the dissolution of her music career, and also in her current journey to finding love. I did find Merritt and Niko’s connection to be a bit on the shallower side, especially at first, relying a bit too heavily on instalust. I was never quite convinced of their actual feelings for each other, and most of my enjoyment of the book was motivated by Merritt as a character as opposed to the romantic story arc.\\ \\ I hope you enjoyed the Disability Pride Readathon, read some fantastic new books, and maybe even got some additional recommendations to keep reading disabled books all year long! I hope you’ll join us in our book club reading Behooved by M. Stevenson (romantasy with celiac rep!) this August in the Discord, and best of luck to all those who entered the raffle!](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/91Uoj6wF6DsWzT0q8idf/) [Disability Pride Readathon Wrap Up!](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/91Uoj6wF6DsWzT0q8idf/) * * * 19 books 1 [1](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/91Uoj6wF6DsWzT0q8idf/#comments) [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Jun 3 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) \\ \\ _Title:_ **I’ll Pretend You’re Mine** by Tashie Bhuiyan **†**\\ \\ _Representation:_ anxiety\\ \\ _Genre:_ YA Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 3, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **Now She's Dead** by Roselyn Clarke\\ \\ _Representation:_ anxiety\\ \\ _Genre:_ YA Thriller\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 3, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez** by Jasminne Paulino\\ \\ _Representation:_ neurodivergence\\ \\ _Genre:_ Middle Grade Contemporary\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 3, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **Battle of the Bookstores** by Ali Brady\\ \\ _Representation:_ anxiety\\ \\ _Genre:_ Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 3, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **Fighting Spirit** by Anna Harrison\\ \\ _Representation:_ ADHD\\ \\ _Genre:_ Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 3, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **Never Been Shipped** by Alicia Thompson **†**\\ \\ _Representation:_ anxiety\\ \\ _Genre:_ Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 10, 2025\\ \\ \\ \\ _Title:_ **Realm of Thieves** by Karina Halle **†**\\ \\ _Representation:_ chronic illness\\ \\ _Genre:_ Fantasy Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 10, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **Dance of Lies** by Brittany Arena **†**\\ \\ _Representation:_ chronic illness\\ \\ _Genre:_ Fantasy Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 10, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday** by Kelsey B. Toney **†**\\ \\ _Representation:_ endometriosis\\ \\ _Genre:_ YA Contemporary\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 17, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **If We Survive This** by Racquel Marie **†**\\ \\ _Representation:_ OCD\\ \\ _Genre:_ YA Horror\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 17, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **When You Rec’s My Plans** by Jess Christine\\ \\ _Representation:_ traumatic brain injury\\ \\ _Genre:_ Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 26, 2025\\ \\ _Title:_ **A Clear Path** by Deirdre Lyons\\ \\ _Representation:_ anxiety\\ \\ _Genre:_ Fantasy Romance\\ \\ _Release Date:_ June 26, 2025\\ \\ **† = confirmed own voices or by a disabled author**](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/jFyDkyqHEakJpr2TejPG/) [June Disability Release Round-Up](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/jFyDkyqHEakJpr2TejPG/) * * * 12 books [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • May 5 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [May TBR](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/YvV1TjVaJzQi49fuOukx/) If I look a little miserable in this video it’s bc I have kidney stones rn 😭 * * * 12 books 1 [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Mar 21 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [EXCLUSIVE EARLY ACCESS: 2025 Debuts I Am DYING to Read](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/vLcZDtpIF9FMdMvb2MXN/) Did I film and edit this video in January and simply forget to post it? Yes. But we're not going to talk about that. I still haven't had a chance to read any of these books, but I am BEYOND excited to get to them. Blood Beneath the Snow, Yours Eventually, and What Wakes the Bells are all out now! Check out my FULL LIST of anticipated 2025 releases: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab\_P0cUR3vg&t=1872s ✨ where else to find me ✨ TikTok (for as long as it's still here, anyway): / chronicallybookish Instagram: www.instagram.com/\_chronicallybookish Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/98103080 Threads: www.threads.net/@\_chronicallybookish Storygraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile/chronicallybookish 0:00 Intro 1:21 Blood Beneath the Snow 2:46 Yours, Eventually 3:59 What Wakes the Bells 4:51 Behooved 6:35 A Dance of Lies 7:47 The Princess Knight (fka Medievally Blonde) 9:18 In the Veins of Drowning 10:40 Mistress of Bones 11:43 The Maiden and Her Monster 12:36 Outro * * * 9 books 2 Posts about this book from across Bindery [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Sep 1 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [Mini Reviews: Every Book I’ve Read in 2025 With Disability Representation](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/McBOrcOXAy7dmFan5FkO/) * * * 26 books [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Aug 11 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [6-5-4-3-2-1 stars](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/AgpK2K23rBaGDwCDrEtB/) 6-5-4-3-2-1 Some books I’ve read in the last couple years that I rated 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 stars! * * * 31 books [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Aug 1 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [Disability Pride Readathon Wrap Up!](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/91Uoj6wF6DsWzT0q8idf/) * * * 19 books 1 [1](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/91Uoj6wF6DsWzT0q8idf/#comments) [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Jun 3 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [June Disability Release Round-Up](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/jFyDkyqHEakJpr2TejPG/) * * * 12 books [Not So Well Read\\ \\ Courtney\\ \\ • May 28 2025](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Four Fantasy Books I've Loved Recently](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/du9iAMr5lsPBDxpzeDZb/) 2025 has been and will continue to be an incredible year for fantasy! I typically mix up my genres, but this year’s releases have been so good that I can’t leave the fantasy genre unless someone forces me to. Here are 2 new releases, 1 quickly approaching release, and 1 fall release that I’ve absolutely adored. #fantasybookstagram #fantasybookrecs #fantasybook #fantasybooklover #bookstacks * * * 4 books 1 [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • May 5 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) [May TBR](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/YvV1TjVaJzQi49fuOukx/) If I look a little miserable in this video it’s bc I have kidney stones rn 😭 * * * 12 books 1 [Not So Well Read\\ \\ Courtney\\ \\ • Mar 23 2025](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [**This week in the book world:** \\ \\ This week was all about Sunrise on the Reaping! It's been so fun seeing everyone diving back into the world of my all-time-favorite series. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through, but I know from everyone's stories that this is going to emotionally destroy me. I am ready. \\ \\ I had my own personal drama with this title–specifically a certain publisher not having us sign the needed embargo paperwork, which delayed our shipment by 3 days–but overall this release seemed to go a lot more smoothly than THAT one in January. I will say, I am forever jealous of the folks who got to attend the Waterstones Midnight Release. That looked AMAZING and even my indie-loving heart isn't afraid to admit it.\\ \\ **This Week's Publishing News:** \\ \\ - Sarah Beth Durst announced a new teen book this week! It's called The Faraway Inn about a teen girl who goes to work at her aunt's secretly-magical B&B after a breakup.\\ \\ - New horror novel called The House Where Nothing Hurts, "pitched as Bunny meets Marlena and for fans of Yellowjackets, about a high school volleyball team that discovers a haunted house where none of their actions seem to have lasting physical consequences"\\ \\ - Lindsay King-Miller, author of The Z Word, is teaming up with Rachel Feder for a dystopian retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray called Dorian/Gray, pitched as a retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray "where the rich are assigned poor scapegoats who experience all the negative consequences of their actions through quantum entanglement"\\ \\ \\ **This Week's New Releases:** \\ \\ Much slower week than last week, but still some good ones:\\ \\ - Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones\\ \\ - Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins\\ \\ - Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green\\ \\ - The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley\\ \\ - The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth\\ \\ - The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1) by Maithree Wijesekara\\ \\ - The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi\\ \\ \\ **What I Read This Week:** \\ \\ **Oathbound (Finished)**\\ \\ UGGGHHH!!! When's the next one???? I just want my babies to be happy together, okay? Also, in other news, I saw in publisher's weekly that Legendborn sold only 2000 copies in its first week, but Oathbound sold 20k+ in its first week and I'm just so happy!!\\ \\ **Soulgazer (Finished)**\\ \\ This book captured my entire heart in a matter of pages. Not only is it an incredible pirate fantasy, it's got an incredibly tender romance that will be beloved by both historical and fantasy romance readers. I cannot wait for the next novel and will be thinking of Faolan and Saoirse nearly every day until then. 10/10, perfect romantasy. Y'all make sure to preorder this one and show author Maggie some love.\\ \\ **Kill Creatures (Finished)**\\ \\ Kill Creatures is the exact reason why I love teen thrillers. Impossible-to-put-down from the very first page with a twist that will leave readers of all ages reeling, Kill Creatures is the a sun-soaked-fever-dream thriller that's perfect for summer reading. This one comes out 6/3/25!\\ \\ **Blood Over Bright Haven (50%)**\\ \\ I am loving this book, which is very likely due to the incredible audiobook narrator. We called the twist pretty early on, but that hasn't kept me from enjoying it. I need to finish this one tonight before book club tomorrow, so I'll keep y'all updated on my progress.\\ \\ **Dance of Lies (28%)**\\ \\ Ooooh, I can tell that this one is going to be a slow burn and I am buckled in and ready.\\ \\ **What I bought/shelved:** \\ \\ Bought:\\ \\ - Till Death by Kellan McDaniel\\ \\ - Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins\\ \\ - I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins\\ \\ \\ Shelved:\\ \\ - Between Ink and Shadows by Melissa Wright\\ \\ \\ **Other Musings:** \\ \\ Don't forget the Trans Rights Read-a-thon is happening now till 3/31! I am hoping to read The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts and Till Death during this time!! I also wrote a little blog post with some of ours booksellers' favorite books by trans and nonbinary authors. You can read that here if you want some book ideas!](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/cFjgpkWvt5TAMAGZc5fa/) [Weekly Wrap Up – 3.17-3.23](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/cFjgpkWvt5TAMAGZc5fa/) * * * 15 books 1 [Not So Well Read\\ \\ Courtney\\ \\ • Mar 23 2025](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [2025 Summer Fantasy Book Releases](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/QTSZd5QPwCmREtMe2uap/) Y’all… May, June, and July is absolutely stacked with incredible fantasy/dark academia/romantasy releases. And, this is only the stack I’m fortunate enough to have a physical ARC of. There are like 8 more that I’m reading on my kindle right now. Hope you all are taking lots of vacation days, because summer reading is going to be very, very time consuming this year. What release are you most excited about? * * * 6 books 1 [chronicallybookish\\ \\ Kaley\\ \\ • Mar 21 2025](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/) \\ \\ Join for free or login](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/vLcZDtpIF9FMdMvb2MXN/) [EXCLUSIVE EARLY ACCESS: 2025 Debuts I Am DYING to Read](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/vLcZDtpIF9FMdMvb2MXN/) Blood Beneath the Snow, Yours Eventually, and What Wakes the Bells are all out now! Check out my FULL LIST of anticipated 2025 releases: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab\_P0cUR3vg&t=1872s * * * 9 books 2 [Not So Well Read\\ \\ Courtney\\ \\ • Feb 2 2025](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [And somehow I thought things couldn't get worse... \\ \\ **This Week in the Book World:** \\ \\ Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to what was happening in the book world this week. I was too preoccupied with everything else that seemed to come crumbling down on top of us this week. \\ \\ If you caught wind of some important news or drama that I didn't, please drop me a comment and spill the tea.\\ \\ **This week's publishing news:** \\ \\ - Author of one of my favorite YA books (Pride), Ibi Zoboi's announced a new fantasy book titled The Serpent, The Rainbow, The Island below. Based in Haitian mythology, it's about "three orphans who are the descendants of Vodou gods, on a quest to reunite with their loved ones and protect a magical underworld from shape-shifting monsters"\\ \\ - I've also talked a lot about queer horror this week, so was excited to see a new book announcement from Ryan La Sala's, author of The Honeys, called The Dead of Summer, about a teen in a queer resort town off the coast of Maine and "a mysterious, supernatural plague rising from the sea"\\ \\ - We also got another Johnny Compton announcement! This one is titled Chimera Skin, and is a science fiction horror novella "pitched as The Fly meets The Thing and I am Legend".\\ \\ - The sporror genre is alive and well! Laura Cranehill's debute, Wife Shaped Bodies, is "about an isolated newlywed, covered in mushroom growths like all the wives in her community, who strikes a precarious balance between following her husband's strict rules and pursuing an intense connection with another woman"\\ \\ - And I know nothing about this book, but looks like we might have another big Romantasy title coming soon. Cortney L. Winn's, Vesselless, won a 6-figure deal to Voyager and also won deals with 8 other publishers for international distribution. Definitely one I'll be keeping an eye on.\\ \\ \\ **This week's new releases:** \\ \\ - Old Soul by Susan Barker (Adult, literary/horror)\\ \\ - We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin (Adult, literary)\\ \\ - Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry (Adult, Non-fiction)\\ \\ - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker (Adult, horror)\\ \\ - The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears (Teen, Fantasy)\\ \\ \\ **What I read this week:** \\ \\ **Onyx Storm (Finished)**\\ \\ Well, I finished it and I thought it was fine. Maybe I had just mentally prepared myself for a cliff-hanger, because I wasn't overly phased by anything that happened. Am I pissed I have to wait til 2027 for the next book? Yes. Is my interest in this series waning a bit? Also yes. I'm definitely going to experience some fatigue if we don't wrap this up soon, because I predict this may go the way of From Blood and Ash.\\ \\ **The Afterdark (Finished)**\\ \\ This was a fun little queer YA horror novel! I listened to the audiobook over the course of a couple of days and it was a nice little brain break from the real world. It started out a lot stronger than it finished, but I still really enjoyed it. It was a nice little snack of a book.\\ \\ **Listen to Your Sister (36%)**\\ \\ Holy shit. I cannot stop listening to this book. THIS is the exact kind of horror I love. It's creepy, it's emotional, it has a ton to say. I'm literally going to start listening again as soon as I finish writing this post.\\ \\ **Gifted & Talented (20%)**\\ \\ Might this be Olivie Blake's best book yet? That is definitely possible. I love, love, love Olivie Blake's style and voice, but her books require a certain level of attention that can make getting into them hard. I usually struggle through the first 50% before falling hopelessly in love with the story and reading the rest in one or two sittings. This one, however, has been so easy to jump into and it already has its claws in me after only 100 pages. Woof, it is long though.\\ \\ **What I bought/shelved** \\ \\ It's here!!! I finally got my galley of my Bookstagram buddy's debut fanatasy novel, A Dance of Lies! It's going to be my next ARC as soon as I finish Gifted & Talented.\\ \\ I also got both my Illumicrate (Watermoon by Samantha Sotto Yambao) and my Evernight (Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker) books this week.\\ \\ Here are some books I shelved this week:\\ \\ - Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves\\ \\ - Anathema by Keri Lake\\ \\ - Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian\\ \\ \\ **Other musings:** \\ \\ My husband I watched The Dead Don't Die, which came out in 2019 but somehow flew completely under our radar and it was so fun. It's one of the driest movies I have ever seen, but is absolutely a pop-culture gem. Their depiction of small town life–specifically a certain Steve Buscemi scene–had me cackling. 10/10 would recommend watching on Netflix.\\ \\ I also started playing Lemoncake again after putting it down for awhile. If you love cozy games, particularly time management games like Diner Dash, this one is so fun to play on Switch.\\ \\ Lastly, it's time to vote on our February book club! In February, we're going for grand, sweeping romantic gestures and I'm really excited about our options. They're all backlist titles that I've been wanting to read for years. Join and vote here.](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/MDT4MovYkxqqzYEHTfJr/) [Weekly Wrap Up – 1.27-2.2](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/MDT4MovYkxqqzYEHTfJr/) * * * 14 books 1