sunny thoughts

Goodreads choice awards hot takes + reaction

hello friends! decided to make this video a Bindery exclusive :)

8 titles featured

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sunny thoughts

Dec 23, 2024

_I’m going to be putting out short little newsletters for paid subscribers with book reviews of some titles I think my readers on Substack and over here on Bindery might enjoy. I really appreciate your support. More than you can know. _https://open.substack.com/pub/onl00p/p/book-rec-round-up-01?r=1l6xza&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Onto the books. These are all sapphic titles, in the sense that lesbianic things do in fact go down in all of these. I’m thinking I’ll have different themes of book recommendations per edition of the newsletter. And of course, we had to start with novels for dykes.

Passing, Nella Larsen (1929)

A Harlem Renaissance classic that I’ve heard is the Barnard girlies’ first-year required reading. There’s a reason why this isn’t assigned in high school, and it’s because it’s too gay. Just kidding, it’s probably because most teenagers can’t really conceive of a world where the color line was so rigidly enforced, yet so seemingly casually and easily manipulated. Ultimately, what drives this story is secrecy, desire, and repression– shit that we as lesbians are intimately familiar with. The novel follows the reconnection of two women who were once childhood acquaintances, one of whom now lives in and socializes with the upper-middle class neighborhoods of New York City, the other being someone who has crossed the color line and lives as a white woman. Both of them are Black women with light skin and features; but only one of them ‘passes’ as white, full time. It’s a compelling and fraught tale with an explosive ending. Nella Larsen as an author has only recently been brought into the Anglo-American canon. Her work was underrated and not widely recognized for its genius during her time. I highly recommend this book. It’s also not too long. I’m not a huge enjoyer of novels that are too long. You’ll notice this if you follow along with me on this paid-subscriber newsletter journey! Or if you watch my videos and already know the deal.

One’s Company, Ashley Hutson (2022)

For sitcom enjoyers, insane women, and people who have fantasized about what they would do if they won the lottery. Because yes, the main character of this novel is all of the above. Though this book heavily deals with the television show Three’s Company, a 70s sitcom I have no interest in, the fact that I had never watched impeded my reading experience not at all. In fact, I probably enjoyed it more for that fact. This book tells a trauma narrative, but in a way that is so immersed in its own world of delusion that the rest of the world might as well not exist. A strange book with a delightful cover. I love when a novel delightfully sprinkles some lesbianism into the narrative, and this book did exactly that. It’s a third act twist that I did not expect, and the lack of anticipation only increased my delight with this story. Easily readable or listenable in one sitting. I could not have been more engrossed. Real and true and genuine sufferers of mental illness will heavily resonate with this one, I think. It exists at once in a contemporary landscape and one that almost lives outside of time itself, in its own insular little bubble and capsule of human experience. That’s all television is though, isn’t it?

I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman. (1995)

Apparently, this is a hot title right now. (According to the book buyer at the bookstore I work at.) It’s also the most recently read book included in this newsletter. My good friend Anna (pronounced Aw-Nuh by the way) highly recommended this book. Because I’m a good friend and I take my friends’ book reviews seriously, I knew that it was going to be good. And it was! Kind of has a similar vibe to The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa in the sense that the book presents a lot of questions in its representation of a dystopian reality, set vaguely in the past, present, or future, but rarely answers any of them. The satisfaction of understanding or not understanding the dystopias of the world portrayed in Harpman’s novel feels less significant than the fact of our main character’s odd existence. Her alienation and thus alienness of her character is reemphasized in the actual writing of the story, the distance you feel as a reader from the narrative. It also helps that this book was written originally in French. The author, a Jewish Belgian woman, contends with senseless violence, institutional isolation, and the reality of unfreedom in a way that speaks to a generational familiarity with these things. This book is an interrogation of the conditions of womanhood in a void of a world, a liminal space where time and identity mean very little. Until they do.

book rec round-up, 01

lesbian readers, this one's for you

3 titles featured

Sunny

sunny thoughts

Sep 10, 2024

book recs if you like Black Mirror

hi Bindery friends!! hope you enjoy this rec list video :)

7 titles featured

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sunny thoughts

Mar 20, 2024

book review newsletter 01: Kiley Reid, Madeline Pendleton, & more

my written full-length reviews of 5 books I've read in January so far— Body Horror: Capitalism, Fear, Misogyny, Jokes by Anne Elizabeth Moore, Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, Some of My Best Friends by Tajja Isen, Drunk On All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson, and I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Everything I Wish I Never Had to Learn About Money by Madeline Pendleton

5 titles featured

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sunny thoughts

Jan 29, 2024

stats video: missing December books graphic

if you noticed something off in my most recent upload...

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Jan 25, 2024

ranking my favorite books & honorable mentions of 2023

fave books part 1: https://youtu.be/bBZEuSYjIvk?si=l7TzM6mGsmboebYK fave books part 2: https://youtu.be/QsX2jOKMs-Y?si=thWJ2x43tyu9i_03 Renaissance's review of Dykette: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5749008545?book_show_action=false my review of post-traumatic in comparison to another book about trauma: https://open.substack.com/pub/thelavendermenace/p/3-women-writers-3-book-reviews?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web The Lavender Menace podcast episode wrapping up 2023 media: upcoming Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KoWHeYT8M0svZhvTsOUgt?si=LzGU-55zSOmbanf7-vlTMg&dl_branch=1 Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/agmaoiRQRy?amp=1 Patreon, for exclusive bonus episodes & early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ujU1cXx4eZV7njNXIYokmO-bDei84tfn/view?usp=sharing Timestamps: 00:00-02:47 intro 02:47-03:53 #16 03:53-04:33 #15 04:33-05:53 #14 05:53-07:06 #13 07:06-08:59 #12 08:59-10:18 #11 10:18-11:55 #10 11:55-13:17 #9 13:17-14:24 #8 14:24-15:42 #7 15:42-17:29 #6 17:29-19:10 #5 19:10-21:18 #4 21:18-23:10 #3 23:10-25:10 #1 & #2 25:10-26:50 lesbian 2023 reflections 26:50-35:00 honorable mentions

25 titles featured

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sunny thoughts

Jan 15, 2024

worst books of the year 2023

my 2 star reads of last year..... yikes! Least favorite books that did notttt work for me 😟 My LibroFM membership affiliate link: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=971447&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmembership%3Fmp%3DCHOOSEINDIE Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook (I don't update my Storygraph profile, sorry!! only upload my goodreads data there once a year for data purposes :( too hard to keep up with 2 tracking apps and I'm more familiar with Goodreads at this point) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/asunnybooknook My Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sunnyinstlouis Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business contact - asunnybooknook @ gmail dot com 🍑🍊🕊🌸🍓🍒🍇 Listen to me and my best friend's lesbian comedy media & pop culture commentary podcast, The Lavender Menace! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KoWHeYT8M0svZhvTsOUgt?si=LzGU-55zSOmbanf7-vlTMg&dl_branch=1 Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/agmaoiRQRy?amp=1 Patreon, for exclusive bonus episodes & early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace Us, elsewhere: Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelavendermenacepod/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuLKSL75Tcd5Zu7DMnC5vQ Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod Substack - https://thelavendermenace.substack.com/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thelavendermenacepod?_t=8V5Ee2joahq&_r=1

10 titles featured

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sunny thoughts

Jan 8, 2024

best books of 2023! (part 2)

part one of my favorite books of the year video: https://youtu.be/bBZEuSYjIvk?si=FIgt5N4WiVgFsQbG Timestamps: 0:00-1:20 hello! 1:20-08:57 The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff 08:57 - 11:56 Liarmouth, John Waters 11:56 - 20:04 Kill for love, Laura Picklesiemer 20:04 - 26:08 Exalted, Anna Dorn 26:08 - 30:35 The Dead Take the A Train, Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey 30:35 - 35:50 Desert creatures, Kay Chorister 35:50 - 38:50 look details & reflections Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook (I don't update my Storygraph profile, sorry!! only upload my goodreads data there once a year for data purposes :( too hard to keep up with 2 tracking apps and I'm more familiar with Goodreads at this point) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/asunnybooknook My Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sunnyinstlouis Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business contact - asunnybooknook @ gmail dot com 🍑🍊🕊🌸🍓🍒🍇 Listen to me and my best friend's lesbian comedy media & pop culture commentary podcast, The Lavender Menace! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KoWHeYT8M0svZhvTsOUgt?si=LzGU-55zSOmbanf7-vlTMg&dl_branch=1 Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/agmaoiRQRy?amp=1 Patreon, for exclusive bonus episodes & early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace Us, elsewhere: Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelavendermenacepod/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuLKSL75Tcd5Zu7DMnC5vQ Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod Substack - https://thelavendermenace.substack.com/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thelavendermenacepod?_t=8V5Ee2joahq&_r=1

6 titles featured

Sunny

sunny thoughts

Jan 4, 2024

favorite books I've read in 2023

lesbian non-fiction & lit-fic & fantasy reads I've loved in the past year!! Please ignore the fact that I’m wearing pajama pants in this video Timestamps: 0:00-1:30 intro. 1:30-4:10 The Persistent Desire, a Femme-Butch Reader. Edited by Joan Nestle 4:10-08:11 Stone Butch Blues. Leslie Feinberg 08:11-10:25 Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)fertility. Michelle Tea 10:25-15:17 Things To Do When You’re Goth in The Country. Chavisa Woods 15:17-20:48 Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. Christopher Moore 20:48-23:25 The Very Nice Box. Laura Blackett, Eve Gleischman 23:25-26:32 Tress of The Emerald Sea. Brandon Sanderson 26:32-29:40 Dykette. Jenny Fran Davis 29:40-35:01 Black Wave. Michelle Tea 35:01-37:47 Post-traumatic. Chantal V. Johnson 37:47-38:41 part 2 is coming… Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook (I don't update my Storygraph profile, sorry!! only upload my goodreads data there once a year for data purposes :( too hard to keep up with 2 tracking apps and I'm more familiar with Goodreads at this point) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/asunnybooknook My Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sunnyinstlouis Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business contact - asunnybooknook @ gmail dot com 🍑🍊🕊🌸🍓🍒🍇 Listen to me and my best friend's lesbian comedy media & pop culture commentary podcast, The Lavender Menace! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KoWHeYT8M0svZhvTsOUgt?si=LzGU-55zSOmbanf7-vlTMg&dl_branch=1 Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/agmaoiRQRy?amp=1 Patreon, for exclusive bonus episodes & early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace Us, elsewhere: Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelavendermenacepod/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuLKSL75Tcd5Zu7DMnC5vQ Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod Substack - https://thelavendermenace.substack.com/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thelavendermenacepod?_t=8V5Ee2joahq&_r=1

10 titles featured

Sunny

sunny thoughts

Dec 31, 2023

Reading wrap up fall-winter: fiction books part 1

catching you up on all the (fiction) books I've read in the last few months!! Including some lesbian classics, fantasies, a romance novel, and feminist historical fiction. Hirbawi: https://www.kufiya.org Timestamps 0:00 - 01:20 intro 01:20 - 05:10 Royal Assassin, Robin Hobb 05:10 - 06:01 Assassin's Quest Robin Hobb 06:01- 07:53 Rouge, Mona Awad 07:53 - 12:35 Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1), Nicholas Eames 12:35 - 16:01 star-rating catch up 16:01 - 16:40 Bloody Rose (The Band, #2), Nicholas Eames 16:40 - 17:07 beauty break 17:07 - 20:57 kufiyah 20:57 - 26:06 The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff 26:06 - 30:05 The Unreal and the Real vol 2, Ursula le Guin27:01 The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, Gertrude Stein 30:05 - 30:47 City of Incurable Women, Maud Casey 30:47 - 33:55 Liarmouth, John Waters 33:55 - 34:47 Galatea, Madeline Miller 34:47 - 37:36 Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, Ashley Herring Blake 37:36 - 38:01 Where the Wild Ladies Are, Aoko Matsuda 38:01 - 39:28 Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf 39:28 - 41:42 The Dead Take The A Train, Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook (I don't update my Storygraph profile, sorry!! only upload my goodreads data there once a year for data purposes :( too hard to keep up with 2 tracking apps and I'm more familiar with Goodreads at this point) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/asunnybooknook My Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sunnyinstlouis/ Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business contact - asunnybooknook @ gmail dot com 🍑🍊🕊🌸🍓🍒🍇 Listen to me and my best friend's lesbian comedy media & pop culture commentary podcast, The Lavender Menace! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KoWHeYT8M0svZhvTsOUgt?si=LzGU-55zSOmbanf7-vlTMg&dl_branch=1 Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/agmaoiRQRy?amp=1 Patreon, for exclusive bonus episodes & early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace Us, elsewhere: Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelavendermenacepod/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuLKSL75Tcd5Zu7DMnC5vQ Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod/ Substack - https://thelavendermenace.substack.com/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thelavendermenacepod?_t=8V5Ee2joahq&_r=1

14 titles featured

Sunny

sunny thoughts

Dec 22, 2023