sunny thoughts

book rec round-up, 01

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

book recs if you like Black Mirror

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




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

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

stats video: missing December books graphic

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

a sunny book nook

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

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

worst books of the year 2023

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

best books of 2023! (part 2)

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

favorite books I've read in 2023

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

Reading wrap up fall-winter: fiction books part 1

back from my hiatus! To comment and bitch about the people's reading taste of course. 

🍉🕊️🫒
donation info: Please DO NOT mention PaIestine in your donation.
VENMO: @three-dee or @Lina-Shahid
PAYPAL: @deesturbance
ZELLE: 720-240-1108

last year's vid:
https://youtu.be/VBSOGbDJloM?si=XSDL_LNyMF2sMoSf

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/sunnyboxhouse
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

very belatedly reacting to the Goodreads Choice Award nominations & winners of 2023

bookshop

Sunny

My name is Sunny (they/she) and I read, recommend, and review books of all genres, with a particular emphasis on lesbian and queer literature, speculative fiction, and women writers. I love sharing my thoughts on books with a community of readers online. I’m a reader and a dedicated drinker of earl gray tea, and I hold the identities of Asian-American femme lesbian very close to my heart— I take that shit very seriously. I am the podcast co-host of The Lavender Menace Podcast, the Writing Director of Beloved: A Butch-Femme Zine, and a writer.  

On previous social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter, I’ve been essentially chased off of these sites for my (well-informed and well-read) beliefs. But I love books and I love sharing my opinions, so I will not stop! On my Bindery, “sunny thoughts” works as both a little play on words, a description of thoughts that are “sunny” and bright, when really, I am a pretty critical reader and consumer of media. But “sunny thoughts” also literally refers to my (Sunny’s) thoughts, in a Substack-like-newsletter for lengthy written book reviews as well as essays on books, media, the Internet, the world, etc. I hope you join me in this community and find as much joy in approaching and critically examining media and discourse as I do!

my name is Sunny (they/she) and I read, recommend, and review books of all genres, with a particular emphasis on lesbian and queer literature, speculative fiction, and women writers.

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Access to exclusive content: extra book videos & vlogs, behind the scenes posts

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Members-only Discord channel: "the (sunny) book nook"

Monthly (or bi-monthly, depending on what members decide on!) book club selection, with ongoing discussion of the book in our Discord

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Monthly Zoom discussion of our book club session, seminar style, & a more casual breakdown of our thoughts on the read of the month

Thank you card at the end of my videos :)