What's the craic, Fools?

In honor of St. Patrick's Day (my namesake, if you didn't happen to know), I've curated a list of some Hibernian reads. I hope however you choose to celebrate, you'll do so in good cheer with beloved kith and kin.

• Irish Fairy Tales and Folklore by W. B. Yeats — trade Zeus and Odin for banshees and leprechauns in these classic tellings of the Emerald Isle's mythology

• The Poems of Seamus Heaney by Seamus Heaney — poetry lovers are spoiled with choice when it comes to Irish bards, but Heaney stands among the very best, and a compilation like this is a great introduction to him

• Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe — one of the greatest pieces of non-fiction writing we've seen this side of the millennium; I've never had anyone bounce off this incredible, challenging book about the Troubles

• Prophet Song by Paul Lynch — this Booker Prize winner is set in a near-future Ireland where an authoritarian government has risen to power and begun to curtail civil rights (let's call it 2026 escapism?)

• The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde — perhaps the wittiest book I've ever read, Wilde's classic morality tale remains evergreen, and if you've never indulged yourself, you simply must

Greetings Fools,

March has been a great reading month for me and I wanted to pass on the books I've enjoyed so far.

• Alchemised by SenLinYu. One of the top selling books of 2025, this dark romance / dark fantasy is a bleak adaption of Manacled, a sprawling Harry Potter fan fiction the author wrote several years ago. This book is not for everyone, but I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and subversion of some standard fantasy tropes.

• Heart the Lover by Lily King. I inhaled this book and loved the experience. Two chapters of a woman's live, and the men in them, are examined decades apart. You can read it in an afternoon. It's a moving meditation on growing up, getting hurt, and loving people all the same.

• Role Model by Rachel Reid. Another Heated Rivalry book, and perhaps my favorite so far, as it deals extensively with toxic masculinity and the quest (internally) to overcome it. Relatable.

• Sold by Patricia McCormick. The latest in my banned books series. A difficult subject but accessible read about a young Nepali girl trafficked into India. Video coming soon.

Greetings Fools,

I'd like to call your attention to two lists which will be updated on an ongoing basis. I'll add them to the pinned post in due time for easy future access. They are:

1. Banned Books - both those I've read for my ongoing series and an unsorted list of frequently banned books

2. Bookish Creators I Follow - some excellent people whose work I particularly look forward to, again unranked and unsorted

I hope this adds some value and that you're working your way through our March Book Club reads! More to come on those soon.

MQ

Banned Books Central List

As many of you already know, I have a real thing for banned books. Specifically, I like to read them and explain why they shouldn’t be banned.

Although recent book banning has focused on targeting marginalized groups, especially the LGBTQIA and black communities, there’s a long history of censorship that stretches back throughout human history, has affected every group, and been perpetrated by every group.

I’m currently working on a video series in which I read and discuss banned books. As I update that series, I’ll indicate which books I’ve read and which books I plan to read here. Note: I source my banned books from lists compiled by the GOATs on this subject, the American Library Association and PEN America.

Banned Books I’ve Read for the Series

• Gender Queer: A Memoir, Maia Kobabe, Graphic Memoir; watch on Instagram, TikTok, & YouTube

• Flamer, Mike Curato, YA Graphic Novel; watch on Instagram, TikTok, & YouTube

• Sold, Patricia McCormick, YA Fiction (verse novel); video coming soon.

Additional Banned Books (unranked and unsorted)

• The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison, Literary Fiction

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, YA Fiction

• Looking for Alaska, John Green, YA Fiction

• All Boys Aren't Blue, George M. Johnson, Memoir/Essays

• Tricks, Ellen Hopkins, YA Fiction (verse novel)

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Jesse Andrews, YA Fiction

• Crank, Ellen Hopkins, YA Fiction (verse novel)

• Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult, Fiction/Thriller

• Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher, YA Fiction

• The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Dystopian Fiction

• Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen, Historical Fiction

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie, YA Fiction

• The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini, Literary Fiction

• A Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J. Maas, Fantasy/Romance

• Identical, Ellen Hopkins, YA Fiction (verse novel)

• Out of Darkness, Ashley Hope Pérez, YA Historical Fiction

• A Court of Wings and Ruin, Sarah J. Maas, Fantasy/Romance

• The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas, YA Fiction

• A Court of Frost and Starlight, Sarah J. Maas, Fantasy/Romance

• Lucky, Alice Sebold, Memoir

• Tilt, Ellen Hopkins, YA Fiction (verse novel)

• Beloved, Toni Morrison, Literary Fiction

• Living Dead Girl, Elizabeth Scott, YA Fiction

• Forever…, Judy Blume, YA Fiction

• Damsel, Elana K. Arnold, YA Fantasy

• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Erika L. Sánchez, YA Fiction

• Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo, YA Historical Fiction

• Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson, YA Fiction

• Breathless, Jennifer Niven, YA Romance

• The Color Purple, Alice Walker, Literary Fiction

• Monday's Not Coming, Tiffany D. Jackson, YA Mystery/Thriller

• The Haters, Jesse Andrews, YA Fiction

• Beyond Magenta, Susan Kuklin, YA Nonfiction

• Milk and Honey, Rupi Kaur, Poetry

• Perfect, Ellen Hopkins, YA Fiction (verse novel)

• Fallout, Ellen Hopkins, YA Fiction (verse novel)

• Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut, Literary Fiction/Satire

• What Girls Are Made Of, Elana K. Arnold, YA Fiction

• Drama: A Graphic Novel, Raina Telgemeier, Middle Grade Graphic Novel

• The Carnival at Bray, Jessie Ann Foley, YA Fiction

• Wicked, Gregory Maguire, Fantasy

• Impulse, Ellen Hopkins, YA Fiction (verse novel)

• Shine, Lauren Myracle, YA Mystery

• The Sun and Her Flowers, Rupi Kaur, Poetry

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou, Autobiography

• A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess, Dystopian Fiction/Satire

• The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend, Kody Keplinger, YA Fiction

• Storm and Fury, Jennifer L. Armentrout, YA Fantasy/Romance

Bookish Content Creators I Follow

I only got into this racket because it seemed like some very cool people were already having fun doing it. Here’s an unranked and inexhaustive list of creators in bookish spaces whose content I always look forward to. Give them a follow! Note: I’ll likely update the list intermittently.

• Michael Kist on Instagram, TikTok, & here on Bindery!

• Luke Bateman on Instagram & TikTok

• Panic_Kyle on TikTok

• Lucas Page on Instagram & TikTok

• Chris Fizer on Instagram & TikTok

• Dylan Joseph on Instagram & TikTok

• Rea Reads on Instagram & TikTok

• Josh Lora on Instagram & TikTok

• Carla on Instagram & TikTok

• Sam Wall on Instagram & TikTok

• The Book Baba on Instagram & TikTok

• Jack Edwards on Instagram & TikTok

• Salinger on Instagram & TikTok

February was a mix of genre fiction, literary fiction, memoir, and steamy romance with some banned books thrown in.

The Devils (Amazon/Bookshop) by Joe Abercrombie. February’s pick for my boys book club. It reads like a well-executed Dungeons & Dragons campaign, which is a good thing. A Suicide Squad-like group of ne’er-do-wells are press-ganged into service by a fictionalized, women-led Catholic Church in a fantasy medieval Europe where Carthage’s witchdoctors built Venice, the Pope is a ten-year-old girl (and the most gifted magic user in her generation), and human-eating elves have taken over the Holy Land. I laughed more during this book than any other read in recent memory.

Kitchen Confidential (Amazon/Bookshop) by Anthony Bourdain. One of my favorite memoirs and also the rare book that perhaps works even better as an audiobook, delivered of course by the inimitable Bourdain. The book captures Bourdain’s life as a chef before he became a global phenomenon, and if you’re unfamiliar with that period of his life, I highly recommend giving it a read (or listen!).

The Edge of Sadness (Amazon) by Edwin O’Connor. I read this book with TikTok’s excellent Panic_Kyle as part of his ongoing series in which he is reading all the Pulitzer Prize-winning novels. This winner from 1962 follows an Irish-American Catholic priest who finds himself unexpectedly entangled with a sprawling family from his past. I loved this book, which has been largely forgotten, and I highly encourage you to give the description a read and see if you might like it too.

Ejaculate Responsibly (Amazon/Bookshop) by Gabrielle Blair. This book should be taught in schools. Truly, you can read it in under an hour and—in particular—I think it will change the way men look at certain responsibilities.

More Heated Rivalry, specifically Game Changer (Amazon/Bookshop) and The Long Game (Amazon/Bookshop) by Rachel Reid. What can I say? They’re fun brain candy to listen to while I’m doing dishes. I do a lot of dishes. Game Changer is actually the first book in the series, although it’s adapted into Season 1 of Heated Rivalry as a sub-plot, and The Long Game is the sixth book, but the most direct continuation of Ilya & Shane’s story. Having listened to it, I’m ready for Heated Rivalry season two!

The Snowy Day (Amazon/Bookshop) by Ezra Jack Keats. Apparently everyone on Earth except me knew about this beloved 1962 children’s classic, following a young boy named Peter during an unexpected snow day in the city. I found out about it during a visit to the New York Public Library’s Polonsky Treasures exhibition, where the most checked out copy is on display, because The Snowy Day is the most checked out book in the history of the NYPL.

Gender Queer (Amazon/Bookshop) by Maia Kobabe. I’ve started a regular series reading and discussing banned books over on social media and I kicked it off with this graphic novel, which has become one of the most banned books in America. Kobabe is nonbinary and uses e/eir pronouns. Gender Queer is eir memoir of coming to terms with eir identity and is about as harmless as can be. I also happen to think it’s a great introduction to aspects of the gender spectrum many people might not have a lot of familiarity with.

Flamer (Amazon/Bookshop) by Mike Curato. The second banned book we looked at, Flamer is a semi-autobiographical story influenced by Curato’s own experiences as a closeted teen with a Catholic upbringing and his experiences with the Boy Scouts in the summer of 1995. Another quick, great read which doesn’t deserve any of the pushback it’s gotten.

What We're Reading in March!

Greetings friends. After consulting the nominating committee (chaired by me, staffed by the voices in my head), we're moving forward with one novel and one nonfiction read for March. Something for everyone!

A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my all-time favorite books. Few characters in literary history display more joie de vivre and savoir faire than Count Rostov. It's highly readable and exceedingly enjoyable.

How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer is a biography of Michel de Montaigne which has been on my TBR for a while. I have a bit of a boy crush on Montaigne and I feel like everybody with better taste than me has read and loved this book.

Reminder—the majority of book discussion will take place over on our Discord on channels unlocked at the Greater Fool tier. See the pinned welcome post for that rationale. Either way, I hope you'll read and enjoy these books with me!

Hello and welcome! A few people have found their way to this page before we've done our formal launch and even subscribed to the premium tier. Thank you so much, I'm so glad you're here.

I'm still trying to work out some kinks with the Discord integration before I do the formal launch announcement, but we are going to have a February Book Club read. Because it's a short month, and a delayed start, we're going to read the small but mighty Rules for a Knight, which is Ethan Hawke's shockingly good homage to the mirrors for princes or wisdom literature of old.

Hopefully the formal announcement will go out in the next day or so, but if you want to find a copy online or from your library, you'll have a head start! As a reminder, active book club participation is limited to the Greater Fool tier for now while I figure all of this out.