Elsewhen | Babel

[With a little over a week left in May, I wanted to share some of the incredible AANHPI stories on my TBR to continue celebrating AANHPI voices all year long!\ *Pitches from the publishers.\ \

Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow - Two scholars of magical veterinary science must put aside their lust and loathing to save the world in the first installment of this whimsical, romantic, dark academia duology. ( Strange Familiars is also the July pick for Musings of the Nine Book Club! Keshe will join the club to comment insight about Strange Familiars and chat with the club as we read. We hope you join us!)\ \
For No Mortal Creature by Keshe Chow - In this romantic, gothic fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights, a teen girl with the power to move between life and death must journey into the afterlife. But to survive, she’ll need the help of her two sworn enemies—both dangerously captivating, both hiding secrets that could destroy her.\ \
Unfinished Business by Clare Osongo - In this funny, warmly chaotic tale of love, a floundering office worker discovers her mother's ghost is trapped in the company Slack server, and must free her by resolving her own troubled love life.\ \
The Fast Track by Angelica Cheng - An ambitious racer who dreams of becoming the first female F1 champion finds her plans going off track when she catches feelings for her biggest competition in this dishy, delicious contemporary romance for fans of love, Lynn Painter, and Lewis Hamilton.\ \
The Revenant of Surolifia by Florence Chien - In the vein of The Traitor Baru Cormorant and The Unbroken, The Revenant of Surolifia is a gripping political fantasy of empire, identity, and impossible choices, where rebellion blazes in the streets, loyalty is a double-edged sword, and the price of peace may be too steep to pay.\ \
The Game of Oaths by S.C. Bandreddi - In this heart-pounding, richly imagined fantasy set in the Belle Époque, a trapeze artist fights to win a deadly tournament amid the glamour and illusions of a magical circus. But survival isn’t her only goal—she wants revenge.\ \
Witch Daughter by Tanaz Bhathena - In her adult debut, award-winning author Tanaz Bhathena expertly weaves a tale of love and loss in ancient Persia with her take on the timeless tragedy of Tahmineh, a temptress, a witch, a victim, or, perhaps, a woman trying her hardest to protect her loved ones.\ \
Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari - A fierce Indian queen must defend her country against both the colonizing monsters attacking from the sea and the cowardly manipulations of a neighboring king…who happens to be her husband.\ \
The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham - A lush and immersive queer “Sleeping Beauty” retelling about escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world.\ \
A Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese - Inspired by medieval India’s most epic love stories, this debut Romantasy blends rich storytelling, lush worldbuilding, and spice of every variety. Perfect for fans of Nisha J. Tuli and Tasha Suri.\ \
The Book of Fallen Leaves by A.S. Tamaki - Shogun meets Game of Thrones in this epic fantasy debut of ambition, vengeance, and sacrifice.\ \
Coldwire by Chloe Gong - The start of a daring new dystopian series where humanity has moved to virtual reality to flee their deteriorating world, following two young soldiers who must depend on unlikely allies in their fight for survival.\ \
The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim - In this sly and dazzling contemporary fantasy, the most notorious nine-tailed fox in Korea pairs up with a trickster god–turned–detective to track down a wrathful demon . . . before it can destroy the mortal world.\ \
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang - The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen.\ \
Double Happiness by Heather Eng - Caught between a relentless tech job, her adoring fiancé, and an unexpected new flame, Mei must learn what it means to choose herself.\ \
Brighter Than Nine (sequel to Darker By Four) by June C.L. Tan - The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets the Chinese underworld, drawing inspiration from diaspora folklore, in this epic, sweeping contemporary fantasy duology.\ \
Checking You Out by Jennifer Chen - XO, Kitty meets Dash & Lily in this rom com about two teens falling in love via letters left in their favorite library books—even if in real life they think they have nothing in common.\ \
Roar by Varsha Bajaj - The gripping story of a boy whose eye-opening trip to a tiger sanctuary ignites his desire to join those who are roaring to protect the animals.\ \
Babel by R.F. Kuang - A historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire.\ \
Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim - A mother and daughter must break their family’s curse through trials of war and immigration, love, loss, and redemption in this riveting multi-generational saga with a shimmer of magic.\ \
The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe - In this spellbinding fantasy debut set in a future where language magic reigns, a young Hawaiian woman must solve a murder to clear her name.\ \
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker - In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.\ \ \ Happy AANHPI Heritage Month!](https://ofpagesandprint.binderybooks.com/item/w8ybreAz4RMi6uF1KFu5/)

AANHPI Books on My TBR!

22 books

Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • May 3

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Sci-fi / fantasy recs for AAPINH month

Loved all of these! Books listed: The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu Babel by R.F. Kuang The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake Good Mourning, Darling by Azalea Crowley Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach #booktok #aapiheritagemonth #aapi #bookrecommendations #scififantasy

9 books

Alysha Fortune Reads\ \ Alysha\ \ • Jan 14

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Women Fantasy Authors that arent romantasy

Here is my completed list of fantasy and scifi books written by women that aren’t Romantasy! #books #booktok #bookstagram #booksta #bookworm #fantasybooks #fantasy #scifi #Romantasy #womenauthors

30 books

Nathan’s Booktok!\ \ Nathan\ \ • Dec 2 2025

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Weekly Reading wrap up

Here is what I read last week! Books mentioned!

Babel by RF Kuang

The Strength of the Few by James Islington

Cellos Gate by Maurice Africh

Jade City by Fonda Lee

#booktube #babelrfkuang #strengthofthefew #jamesislington #cellosgate #indieauthor #jadecity #fondalee #fantasybooks #books #readingwrapup

4 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 9 2025

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what makes a good dark academia book? 🕯️🕰️ defining the genre and it's potential

let me know what your favourite dark academia books are!

12 books

Alysha Fortune Reads\ \ Alysha\ \ • Nov 4 2025

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Women Fantasy Authors

I sometimes get comments about why does it matter if it’s written by a woman or not or why do I make the distinction between Romantasy and non Romantasy and I wanted to address this! My favorite fantasy is often written by women and anytime I can get you guys to read them I’m gunna! #books #booktok #bookstagram #booksta #bookworm #fantasy #fantasybooks #womenauthors #fantasybookrecs

12 books

Bookwyrm Ink\ \ Bookwyrm Ink\ \ • Oct 2 2025

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71 Books I totally recommend. 📚In song!

68 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Sep 28 2025

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the ultimate guide to fall book recs 🍂 30+ autumn books you need to read

let me know what books you'd recommend for the fall!

34 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Sep 15 2025

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rf kuang scares me and i don't know where to start with her books

RF Kuang scares me idk if I’m smart enough for this but I WANT TO BE #booktok #kfkuang #katabasis #fantasybooks #darkacademia

5 books

The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Aug 23 2025

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[Poll:\ \ September 2025 Book Club Selection\ \ I’ve been playing around with the idea of a book club centered around Asian authors since I first launched on Bindery a few months ago, and I am super excited to share that the book club is now live!!!\ \ The goal of the Inkborne Society book club is to create a space dedicated to celebrating and uplifting Asian voices across the fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, and dark academia genres. Each month, I’ll choose a new theme and curate four books by Asian authors that fit it - all of you will then be able to vote on the book club pick in a poll! \ \ Here are some things that you can expect:\ \

Monthly book selections\ \
Discussions in the community Discord (https://discord.com/invite/w83xX2n3rc)\\ \
A welcoming community of story lovers\ \
Occasional bonus content like author Q&As, themed rec lists, giveaways, and more\ \ \ Given that autumn is the peak season for reading dark academia, the September 2025 theme will be “Class is in Session”, with book club options including Katabasis (R.F. Kuang), Blood Over Bright Haven (M.L. Wang), The Library at Hellebore (Cassandra Khaw), and Babel (R.F. Kuang). In the future, I’ll try to include a wider mix of lesser-known titles, but for our very first dark academia month, I couldn’t resist starting with some of these icons...\ \ I would love to have you all join the book club, and hopefully we'll discover some incredible stories together!\ \

NEW BOOK CLUB LAUNCH!

Launching our new community book club dedicated to celebrating and uplifting Asian voices across the fantasy, sci-fi, dark academia, and dystopian genres.

4 books

Mollie Reads \ \ book club gal\ \ • Aug 12 2025

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Dark academia book recs and August book releases 🍂

🕯️🍂 These are the top best dark academia books to read this fall for all the moody autumn vibes! If you’re looking to add to your fall reading list, these books will be perfect additions!

13 books

Violetear Books\ \ Kevin\ \ • Aug 10 2025

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\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

My Top Book Rankings

6 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Aug 7 2025

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What books might I save in a fire?

I hate fireworks 🙃 EVERYONE IS FINE! The fire didn’t have a chance to spread over to homes before the fire dept arrived and they were able to put it out. Did make me realize though that I have not made/updated my fire evacuation plan since I moved in here. what would you grab on your way out? I immediately thought of a few more as soon as I edited this but I did not have it in me to re-record so here’s a start 📚

4 books

Bookwyrm Ink\ \ Bookwyrm Ink\ \ • Jun 22 2025

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\ \ Join for free or login](https://azthiabookwyrm.binderybooks.com/item/zcOxRYKwumZht2ZiUabB/)

Popular books worth the hype

I usually don't go for hyped up books on booktok or bookstagram. But here are some that definitely deserve attention.

5 books

Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • May 23 2025

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Your favourite Cottagecore Librarian is here this monday with a book recommendation

Your favourite Cottagecore Librarian is here this monday with a book recommendation and this time, its a bit different than the usual recs you get on monday, as I’m recommending Babel by @kuangrf (this beautiful edition is by @thelockedlibrary )

If you go to my blog, you can read my longer version of a review of Babel posting next week and all my rambles about the book (in a good way, I loved it and it was an immediate 5 star for me) and its been interesting seeing why people loved or did not love this book!

With the way everything is happening in the world, I found that it was just the right time to read Babel and once I finished it, I was so mad at the world for letting injustice continue and for how little we have changed from the 1800s to today. There are so many things happening in the world, it would be impossible to summarise it in this caption alone, with the Genocide happening, concentration camps still continuing in today’s world and people dying just to get basic human rights

Babel reminds you that even though you might not be directly affected by certain issues, all of us as humans should come together to fight the injustice in the world as we are not free until everyone is free.

Have you read Babel yet and what did you think? I am going to be reading Blood Over Bright Haven in February and then I am hoping to read Yellowface and The Poppy War Series by R,F Kuang who is going to be an auto buy author from now on! I cannot wait to read her new release of Katabasis later this year as well🤎

#babel #fantasybook #magicalrealismbooks #babelrfkuang Cottagecore Witch Cottagecore Sabie Amber Academia Honey Academia Amber and Honey Academia Cozy Gothic Fantasy Books Cozy Games

1 book

Kirstyn's Bookshelf\ \ Kirstyn\ \ • Mar 31 2025

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25 Amazing Books I Want to Read in 2025

My 2025 TBR goes hard. I seriously could not be more excited to read these books. What are you reading this year?

Thank you for being here:)

CONTACT ME: hello@lareesocial.com

MY AMAZON STOREFRONT: https://amzn.to/40DKoWe

JOIN MY COMMUNITY INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/3zodqNo GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/40DKgWK

Music: Mornings Musician: Jeff Kaale

23 books

Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Mar 30 2025

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Books I brought out of town (also look at this crazy hotel room)

This room is so far out of my tax bracket it’s not even funny 💀 here’s some books and a room tour 📚

4 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Mar 17 2025

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MASSIVE March TBR

The ending is sooo vague but idk what I’m allowed to say 🫣🤐 #booktok #marchtbr #tbrbooks #toberead #tbrlist #tbr #fantasybooks #fantasybooktok

16 books

Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 11 2025

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Queer Chinese (+ Diaspora) Book Recommendations

Happy Lunar New Year! Books listed: If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xirin Jay Zhao Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao Babel by R.F. Kuang #booktok #chinesenewyear #lunarnewyear #queerbook #fantasy

5 books

Peppered Ink\ \ Mary\ \ • Feb 20 2025

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Happy Hour & How I Rate Books 🌟

In which I recover from last week's chaos (hopefully) and go through what each star rating means to me.

3 books

Written Reveries\ \ Krystal\ \ • Jan 17 2025

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Where to start with R. F. Kuang’s work.

The Poppy War Th Dragon Republic The Burning God Yellowface Babel Katabasis

#rfkuang #thepoppywar #babel #katabasis #bookish #bookrecommendations #readingorder #bookstagram

6 books

Violetear Books\ \ Kevin\ \ • Nov 25 2024

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Violetear Books Newsletter November 25, 2024

Uncover the darker, grittier side of Wicked, my top fall book picks, and a sneak peek at our next release, Black Salt Queen.

5 books

Peppered Ink\ \ Mary\ \ • Nov 25 2024

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Liquor in the Library, Part 2

Where I determine that a regular posting schedule has its limits...

10 books

Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Aug 6 2024

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Top 10 Books of 2022 👀

00:00 Intro 03:06 Most Surprising Read of the Year 04:36 A Book I Thought I'd Love That I Didn't 06:11 A Book I Thought I'd Hate That I Loved 08:42 My Most Disappointing Read of the Year 11:20 My #10 Book of the Year 12:22 My #9 Book of the Year 13:50 My #8 Book of the Year 16:01 My #7 Book of the Year 17:40 My #6 Book of the Year 19:10 My #5 Book of the Year 20:24 My #4 Book of the Year 21:45 My #3 Book of the Year 23:21 My #2 Book of the Year 25:46 My #1 Book of the Year 27:48 Outro

23 books

Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Aug 6 2024

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5 Books I Tried To Get Into

5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 5 2024

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one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 🫶 part fourteen of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

8 books

Elsewhen\ \ Emma Gardner\ \ • Jul 29 2024

Vote for August's Book Club Pick