Not So Well Read

Happy publication day to @lkclipstone !! I was an early reader for Tenderly I am Devoured and I have been not-so-patiently waiting for this book to be available for everyone to read!

If you love soft, tender, bisexual girls who cry a lot, entrancing chthonic swan gods, and complicated childhood friendships this one is for you!!

Seriously, Lyndall, you know I’ve loved everything you’ve ever published, but this one is something special ✨🦢🎀

#fantasyromancebooks #romantasybooks #queerbooks #teenfiction #youngadultfiction #newreleasetuesday #bookunboxing

Tenderly I am Devoured

There are so many incredible queer and sapphic books out there and I feel like the internet only scratches the surface. Here are 6 sapphic books on my shelf that I either haven’t ever seen or haven’t seen promoted in some time. 

📚 Books Mentioned 📚

- White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
- Briefly a Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
- Grey Dog by Elliott Gish
- Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland
- My Name is Monster by Katie Hale
- But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

#bookrecommendations #sapphicbooks #queerbooks #queerbookstagram #queerbookrecs #fantasybookrecs #bookrecs📚

Under-the-Radar Sapphic Books

Barnes and Noble is not a community organization. Stop treating them like one.

She’s taking 5 books, but the real question is, will she read any books? 

Books on my vacation TBR:

- The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
- So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
- Behooved by M. Stevenson
- This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher
- A Gentleman’s Gentleman by T.J. Alexander

#tbrlist #tobereadpile #toberead #vacationreads #beachread #tobereadlist

My Vacation TBR

These are my current reading priorities. As a bookseller, I am always reading on a deadline and sometimes that deadline does not work out in my favor. 

I love participating in the indie next program, which is a way for booksellers to highlight upcoming books they love through a nomination based system. Indie Next nominations are especially important for debut authors, as it can prove to publishers that investment in these authors and titles is “worth it”. 

Participation in the program means I’m reading 2-3 months ahead of publication schedules and prioritizing this schedule makes it hard for me to work in backlist, book club, and personal reading into my schedule. I’m packing for a weekend trip to the beach and trying to balance these books with some of the TBR titles I was hoping to take with me as well. 

I guess this is what happens when you make your passion your job, but it’s worth it for the  ability to impact the industry for good.

What is Indie Next + My Current Reading Priorities

Yes, I know I am wrong, I am trying to be better. Please be nice to me… or bully me into reading some of these.

📚 Books Mentioned 📚

- A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
- Model Home by Rivers Solomon
- Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab
- The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne@l
- Evocation by S.T. Gibson
- The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

#5starbooks #bookreel #bookstacks #toberead #tobereadpile #bookstagram #5starreads

Books I'm Ashamed I Haven't Read Yet

It’s been awhile since I posted a moody setup, but if ever there was a book that deserved one ifs this one. Bury Our Bones is my everything.

V.E. Schwab has been my favorite author since 2015 and vampires have been my favorite since 2006, so those two things coming together like this had basically changed my life. This book is flawless. I wanted nothing more and nothing less than what I got.

Also, all vampire stories should be sapphic from now on. Thank youuuu.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

I’m not typically a historical fiction reader, unless it’s queer historical fiction. Queer stories and queer people have always existed. These 5 books are some of my favorite reminders of that.

✨ A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein
✨ The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
✨ The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden
✨ Nicked by M.T. Anderson
✨ The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li

What are your favorite historical fiction books with queer characters?

#queerbooks #queerbookrecs #readqueerbooks #readqueerallyear #historicalfictionbooks

Queer Historical Fiction Recs

Obsessed with you all. Let’s get together again soon, okay?

Congrats again to @chasethemaren, @barbarartruelove, @sam_bansil, and @denisesrobbins. And thanks to @bindery_books for the invite and for hosting such a wonderful week of events! 

#bookevent #indiepublishing #smallpress #bookishevents #booklaunchparty #binderybooks #booktoker #bookstagrammer

Bindery Spring 2025 Launch Party

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

Four Fantasy Books I've Loved Recently

Genre-focused indie bookstore owner with the personality of a border collie and the tastes of a victorian ghost.

Courtney Ulrich Smith

bookshop

Courtney

I’m a genre-obsessed reader who has made books my entire life–literally, I own a independent bookstore and founded a non-profit book festival in my hometown. I believe that reading is meant to be fun and so there’s no such thing as a “guilty” pleasure read. I’m here to help folks find their next favorite book sans stigmas, expectations, or required reading.
