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Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
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FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK
Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black • LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE.
“Like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Adjei-Brenyah’s book presents a dystopian vision so…illuminating that it should permanently shift our understanding of who we are and what we’re capable of doing.” —The Washington Post.
“This book will change you!...A masterpiece.” —Jenna Bush Hager, The Today Show’s #ReadWithJenna.
She felt their eyes, all those executioners…. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry.
It’s the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom. In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer.
As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE’s corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar’s path have devastating consequences.
Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system’s unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means from a “new and necessary American voice” (Tommy Orange, The New York Times Book Review).
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Posts about this title from Discotopia | Diverse Books
Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 11 2025
Angry Queer Book Recommendations
Books listed: Blackheart Knights by Laure Eve Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Cinderella is Ded by Kaylnn Bayron Iron Widow by Xirin Jay Zhao The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi #booktok #winterboots #resistance #fantasybooktok #sapphicbooks
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Jul 24
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This hits close to home.
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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Jun 5
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Happy Pride from The Inky Phoenix! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Some of our favorite LGBTQ+ books and authors
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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • May 26
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Are you really an abolitionist? Be honest.
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Wild Card Reads\ \ Samia (bookaroundandfindout)\ \ • May 4
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Do you wanna read more diverse authors ? I got all the recs for you - check out these books in all d
Do you wanna read more diverse authors ? I got all the recs for you - check out these books in all different types of genres to dive into authors who deserve to be highlighted!
#bipoc #bipocbookstagram #bookrecs #diversereads #explore
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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Apr 30
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Black stories always pack a punch. And here are some of the ones that have hit me hardest in the last few years.
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 10
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🥒 don’t worry, i’ll never stop recommending pickle books …
(pickle books are books that leave you with a sour aftertaste in a positive way. yes, this is a concept i made up. no, i’ll never stop trying to make pickle books a ‘thing’.)
📚 books mentioned: - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang - Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
👗💄: - pickle hat was gifted from Out of Print! #outofprintpartner #gifted - eyeshadow is The Lord of the Rings Middle Earth Palette from Glamlite - eyeliner is Epiphany Glow Melt-On (Limelight) from Kaleidos - mascara is Liquid Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara (Ivy) from Thrive Causemetics - lip combo is Lippie Pencil (Twisted) from Colourpop and PhD Hybrid Lip Glaze (Cocoa) from Haus Labs - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Little Brown, and Company, William Morrow, and Pantheon for the gifted copies!
#picklebooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @littlebrown @williammorrowbooks @pantheonbooks @doubledaybooks @outofprint @glamlite @kaleidosmakeup
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science fiction books • thriller books • horror books • dystopian books • weird books • disturbing books • magical realism books • literary fiction book recommendations • diverse books
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Rachel Skye Reads\ \ Rachel\ \ • Apr 4
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A book rec list for my hair stylist who likes queer feminist books that suck you in.
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The Gremlin’s Library\ \ Eerie (they/them)\ \ • Mar 26
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Review: Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
One of the best books I have ever read. #BookTok #TheGremlinLibrarian #DystopianBooks #ChainGangAllStars
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Alyssa’s Library\ \ alyssa\ \ • Sep 4 2025
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Sunny's Book Truck\ \ CJ\ \ • Sep 1 2025
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\ \ Hi friends,\ \ The form to submit your prompts for the personalized September book recommendation is now live. Please find the form HERE. You have until the end of the month to submit, and your recommendations will be emailed to you by the October 7th.\ \ Don't know what this looks like in practice? Last month we had a member submit and the results looked like the below. Just another way to get some great book rec's straight to your inbox. :-)\ \\\________________________________________________________________________________\ \ The ask:\ \ "I'd love some good horror/thriller/suspense or even spooky sci fi a la 'Black Mirror' etc. for October. Bonus points if the writing features queer, minorities, or other marginalized groups/ideas. I wanna get lost and have it be optional if I come back."\ \ The books: \ \ \ \ This is more on the literary side by Private Rites by Julia Armfield fits the bill I think. It follows three queer sisters in a near future setting where there is relentless flooding. They have to figure out how to relate to one another, their family dynamics, and how to survive the banal ending of the world. It's weirdly suspenseful and has a killer third act. \ \ \ \ Have you read Never Whistle at Night yet? Indigenous horror short stories! \ \ \ \ Chain-Gang All Stars might hit on the Black Mirror vibe. It's kind of Black Mirror x Squid Games x Battle Royale. Dystopian speculative fiction full of social satire.\ \ \ \ Lastly this isn't out until October but Local Heavens is a reimagining of The Great Gatsby with a queer and cyberpunk twist. Lots of commentary on tech ala Black Mirror as well. The author has made Nick Carraway into a Filipino man and it WORKS. Super lush and consuming accessible scifi."\ \ Upgrade for $12 or login](https://sunnysbooktruck.binderybooks.com/item/ECVrWUrQh68Fx9l5FjfB/)
Call for September Book Rec's!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025
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what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!
what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!
📚 books mentioned: - The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - The Unmapping by Denise S. Robbins - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - Kindred by Octavia Butler - The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark - The Seep by Chana Porter - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart - Sunrise: Radiant Stories by Erika Kobayashi
thank you to Pantheon, Flatiron, Bindery, and Astra House for the gifted copies!
#scifibooks #sciencefictionbooks #scifibookrecs #sciencefictionbookrecs #bestsciencefiction #FlatironPartner #binderybooks #celestial #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @tordotcompub @pantheonbooks @akashicbooks @flatiron_books @sagapressbooks @bindery_books @torbooks @beaconpress @titanbooks @delreybooks @ballantinebooks @astrahousebooks
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Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Jul 4 2025
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/item/shnqo1DInG5XAdpeICTR/)
Giveaway Reminder + Discord + Dystopian Recs
Happy birthday Haymitch Abernathy 🎂
It’s Reaping Day but before you post about how “we’re not far now from having our IRL Hunger Games” I just ask that your dystopia doesn’t begin with The Hunger Games and abruptly end with The Handmaid’s Tale 📕
The third slide has two dystopias I’ve read and two from my TBR that I’ve heard raving reviews of. These can be heavy reads, but the thing I love about dystopia as a genre is the way in which it reveals so much about humanity and the many forms that resistance can take
#dystopia #sunriseonthereaping #thehungergames #handmaidstale #sciencefiction #parableofthesower
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 27 2025
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dystopian novels by BIPOC authors you NEED to read right now! + how they predict current politics
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 22 2025
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get to know my book taste tag | will we vibe or FIGHT?
get to know my reading taste and see how closely it matches yours! i feel like this could become the new booktube newbie tag, no?! definitely make your own video versions of this tag, but also feel free to sound off in the comment section and share anything you want to about your own reading taste!
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Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • May 13 2025
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\ \ Before you scroll past thinking this is one of those “sorry I haven’t posted” guilt-trip TikToks—pause. It’s not that. I promise. (Unless you are mad at me… in which case… 😅 okay valid.)\ \ Here’s the deal: my serotonin has gone poof. My social feed is 97% longform political doomsday content and the rest is Aaron Parnas saying “BREAKING NEWS” in a deceptively calm voice about things that should be behind a trigger warning but are actually just real life. I didn’t take a break from caring (still calling my reps, still donating, still fighting), but I did take a break from trying to make content when everything feels like it's on fire.\ \ But here’s what I did do:\ \ I read. A lot.\ \ And not just for escapism—but for truth. For clarity. For change.\ \ Because once you’ve read enough “hot fae assassin” fantasy and "funny AI ship" sci-fi, you start craving stories that say something. Books that don’t just entertain, but provoke. That make you stop, whisper “holy sh*t,” and stare at the ceiling for an hour, but you know, in a good way. \ \ So below, I’ve paired fiction and nonfiction reads by theme—books I kept on my shelves, because I want my kids to read them one day and feel their brains light up like mine did. Read one, read both, read what works for your style.\ \ Let’s go.\ \
- SYSTEMIC RACISM\
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- Fiction\
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- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, an Arthurian YA fantasy that has those magic school vibes, and taught me what microagressions FEEL like. But you've probably already read that so I'll also recommend\ \
- Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams, a book about a 17 year old child who finds his roots after removing himself and his brother from abusive foster parents. This tells of an organization of magical black people who have remained cloistered to keep safe, and very much has those Wakanda vibes.\
- Non-Fiction\
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- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, written in the format of a letter to his son, Coates speaks in gorgeous prose about what it's like to be a black man in America. This book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but it connected those things with these little electric sentences that made me FEEL the neurons in my brain connect and go "PING" like a little light bulb. Coates is a genius of our generation.\ \
- Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I know, seems obvious, but I don't see people talking about it much. He's writing to people who disagree with his methods, speaking of his willingness to sit in a jail cell to forward civil rights. Only 54 pages. Required reading. Especially for white folks who quote MLK without context.\
- Fiction\
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- IMMIGRATION\
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- Fiction\
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- Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz is a sci-fi book about robots trying to start their own noodle shop. It tells a story of a post civil war California where robots have been given rights, but only some, only the ones that benefit capitalism. And it shows how different people react to them having those few rights. It's a beautiful story about creating your own community after you've lost everything.\
- Non-Fiction\
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- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei is a graphic novel memoir of Takei's firsthand account of the detention centers Roosevelt imprisoned Japanese Americans in in 1942. I plan to read this and discuss it with my kids this summer.\
- Fiction\
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- COLONIZATION\
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- Fiction\
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- Cry, Voidbringer by Elaine Ho is a story of oppression from 2 POV's, one is a little girl who has been kidnapped into slavery, and the other is an older character who has been working her way up the ranks to the side of the queen, and tries to fight oppression from within a broken system.\ \
- This Place: 150 Years Retold is an indigenous graphic novel anthology of dystopian stories about surviving a post-apocalyptic world since Contact. It comes with an accompanying teacher guide with lesson plans, so this one is another I plan to read and study with my kids this summer.\
- NonFiction\
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- Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States: A Graphic Interpretation by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is, well, what it says it is. I've never been a huge nonfic fan so graphic novels are a great way for me to get some nonfic reading in. This is a book you need on your shelf!\
- Fiction\
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- LGBTQIA+ EXPERIENCE\
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- Fiction\
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- No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull is a sci-fi/fantasy X-men type story about the coming out of monsters (vampires, werewolves, etc,) the world's reaction, and the monsters fight for human rights. It's multi-POV that works because you get to see so many perspectives. I cannot WAIT for my hold to come in from Libby for the sequel.\ \
- Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White is a dystopian horror about a group of fanatic Christians causing the apocalypse to bring about the second coming of Christ. And their chosen is of course a closeted gay kid. I'm not a body horror person, but this book is INSANELY good and my preteen who loves horror is going to freaking love it when he finally gets off his Fortnite and reads it.\
- Nonfiction\
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- A Little Queer Natural History by Josh L. Davis discusses biodiversity in nature and is essentially an entire book in response to the "male and female is basic biology" argument we sometimes hear from people with absolutely zero knowledge in the subject of biology. I love reading books that are a middle finger to bigots.\ \
- Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam chronicles expressions of trans experience that are often left out of the historical record. Trans people exist and HAVE existed for all of human history, and it's important to acknowledge that.\
- Fiction\
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- PRISON ABOLITION (a note: this may be a controversial topic for many, but I truly think that if people truly understood the prison abolition movement's goals, they would agree with them, and I think that if we solved this issue, many many other social issues would be solved as a result. If you don't agree, I beg you to read these books.)\
\
- Fiction\
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- Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, I know, I know, I won't shut up about this one, but it's for good reason! Everyone is off reading Silver Elite because of it's purported (but I have on good authority unfounded) Hunger Games vibes, when Chain-Gang All-Stars has been published since 2023! Take prisons and make them privatized. Someone gets a brilliant idea to put it on reality TV (it's already been done, see 60 Days In) and make them fight each other to the death for sport. That's this book.\
- Nonfiction\
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- Abolitionist Intimacies by El Jones is written like an anthology, but by one person. Jones has been an advocate for years and tells the stories of people whom society has taken away their voice, taken away their humanity. This book doesn't discuss how to solve the problem, but I recommend starting here because to solve the problem, you first need to see prisoners as full human beings, and while you may think you already do, this will show you that no, you don't.\
- Fiction\
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- DISABILITY\
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- Fiction\
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- Cinder by Marissa Meyer was assigned to my 7th grader for summer reading, so we listened to it together, and WOW! How did I sleep on this one? Cinder is a cyborg, a human who has had parts replaced and is considered now to be less than human because of it, including all of her rights being directed by her guardian, her stepmother. Not only did we get to discuss how society treats disabled people as less deserving of human rights, but we also got to see the Lunars, moon dwelling people who their society is hugely biased against, a great metaphor for xenophobia and racism. So many good topics in this book to discuss with your younger reader while still getting to enjoy a hella good book.\
- Nonfiction\
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- Grievers by adrienne marie brown is admittedly not quite nonfiction, but adrienne marie brown is a nonfiction writer who delved into dystopian literature to further our understanding of the pandemic and how it affected and will continue to affect the world. It delves into the socioeconomics and inherent racism of the pandemic in such an insightful way. It has a sequel, thank adreinne, because the first one destroyed me.\ \ For other recommendations sorted by social justice topic I highly recommend going to https://www.akpress.org/books.html an independent publishing house that specializes in radical books. \ \ What other subjects would you like recommendations for? Feel free to leave me some recs in the comments too! I love a good read that cracks a brain open. Let’s build a shelf full of them.](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/item/XAGHabsTOQHTD7phEAbk/)
- Fiction\
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UUUUGGGGGHHHHH and other lamentations: Fiction and Non-Fiction books on the same topics
17 books
2
Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Apr 6 2025
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Authors, I want to publish your books!
Pitchfest starts in three days and I am VERY determined to find our next publication! So, to help you help us both, here is a detailed look at exactly what I'm looking for.
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Daph's Reads 📚✨\ \ Daphne\ \ • Mar 25 2025
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Books that were inspired by The Hunger Games!
Books that were inspired by The Hunger Games!
#booktok #bookstagram #bookrec #bookrecs #bookrecommendation #dystopianbooks #thehungergames #thg #catchingfire #bookhaul #chaingangallstars #fablefortheendoftheworld #redrising
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Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 11 2025
Angry Queer Book Recommendations
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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 17 2025
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Black Authors Who I Think History Will Remember
I started this post as a Bluesky thread a few days ago, but I realized I needed more space than a social media post would allow. So here are some of my favorite Black authors! Enjoy!!!
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Feb 17 2025
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Genre Fiction Books by Black American Authors (My B&N had not one single table set up)
I think a few of the booksellers at this location follow me so if you see this 👀👀👀 “accidentally” send it to your manager. 🧍♀️ There are DOZENS of tables at this store alone and not one was set up for Black History Month when I was there twice last week. We should be celebrating black voices in publishing all the time, but to not be doing so at a bare minimum of during BHM?? There’s like 4 different subgenres of romance tables but not one Black Voices table, c’mon. Anyway here’s like 30 books I quickly pulled off my own shelf, a mix of books I’ve read and loved and books on my TBR 📚 #booktok #bookrecs #tbr #barnesandnoble #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #yabooks #bookshopping #sacramento #booktoker #emmaskiesreads #books
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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Feb 14 2025
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A list of our favorite “romances” from Inky Phoenix titles for people who don’t do romance.
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 10 2025
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weird and haunting books that stick with you
does it shock you that I decided to bring pickle books to the long form stage?
if you were to make up a new category of books, what would it be? (also, welcome to the pickle books club. you're IN IT NOW.)
6 books
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 9 2025
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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/item/RxRUBGqyDi8b2LH5nkFc/)
EXCLUSIVE EARLY ACCESS: pickle book recs!
check out my latest YouTube video 24 hours early! 😱🥒
does it shock you that I decided to bring pickle books to the long form stage?
if you were to make up a new category of books, what would it be? (also, welcome to the pickle books club. you're IN IT NOW.)
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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Feb 3 2025
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with our amazing Inky Phoenix authors!
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Written Reveries\ \ Krystal\ \ • Jan 17 2025
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Vlog: The Dandelion Dynasty | Katabasis | What I've Read | Book Mail | An Author I No Longer Support
my first weekly vlog! I chat about a new favorite series, hopes of getting 1 of 200 Katabasis proofs, update you on what I've read so far this year, book mail and some thoughts on a recent Vulture article.
bindery: https://writtenreveries.binderybooks.... tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@krystallotuslang insta: https://www.instagram.com/krystallotuslang/ storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile... email: krystallotuslang@gmail.com
booktube newbie tag 2025 | new booktuber | booktube introduction | diverse reader | diversify your bookshelves | fantasy and sci fi books by marginalized authors | bindery books | katabasis | rfkuang | the dandelion dynasty | ken liu | chain gang all-stars | krystallotuslang |
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Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Jan 17 2025
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Good Books to Read from Multiple Fiction Genres
Five books that I read in 2024 that just missed out on my Top 10 Fiction Books!
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Jan 15 2025
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10 Book Recs Before I go (part 2)
Replying to @EmmaSkies is my @ everywhere Part 2! Books I want y’all to read in my absence 🫡 #books #booktok #bookrec #bookrecommendations #amasterofdjinn #pdjeliclark #amarvellouslight #freyamarske #darkwaterdaughter #hmlong #allsystemsred #marthawells #murderbot #themurderbotdiaries #chaingangallstars #nanakwameadjeibrenyah
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Jan 11 2025
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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://skiesreads.binderybooks.com/item/TpSYTR72PONuOmhbvjBD/)
Newsletter #12: January 10, 2025
New year, not at all a new me, but perhaps a lot of new circumstances incoming.
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Jan 7 2025
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Trash Panda’s Universe\ \ Trash Panda Leon\ \ • Jan 6 2025
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Top Reads of 2024 - Bookish Recap - Honorable Mentions
If you want to support me, consider joining my Bindery for free: https://trashpandas.binderybooks.com/about/
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/trashpandascorner
Chapter: 0:00 - Intro 0:11 - Blood Over Bright Haven 1:05 - Chain Gang All Stars 3:59 - All System Red (Graphic Audio) 5:45 - Yellowface 8:50 - The Final Strife 12:35 - She's A Keeper 15:47 - Blood & Brujas 19:06 - Trial of the Sun Queen 22:46 - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing 26:16 - House of Frank 30:47 - Honorable mentions
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