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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf

@eliaseells.bsky.social
5.6K followers 902 following 12K posts

Kentucky-based author, writer of the fantastic and delectable. Host of Bar Cart Bookshelf. COCKTAILS AND CONSOLES (Fall '24). Freelance publicist. He/him 🏳️‍🌈 eliaseells.com Inquiries: elias.eells1@gmail.com linktr.ee/eliaseells

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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about FIND ME WHERE IT ENDS by Cassandra Khaw. A moving horror novella about the weight of suicidal ideation as Antigone confronts the arrival of her death. Powerful, intense, bracing. Our drink is the Black Dog, which I hope be a comfort.
An advance review copy of FIND ME WHERE IT ENDS by Cassandra Khaw alongside a dark red drink in a stemmed glass. Book and drink sit before blooming purple mums.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Based.
A sticker at a rest area in western Missouri reads “John Brown Lives”
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I really really love a great short story collection and THE PASSING OF THE DRAGON by Ken Liu is a truly luminous addition to my library. Liu's third collection soars with heart, with bold speculation, with keen understanding. Rooted in the present moment, always looking toward the future. Glorious!
A hardcover of THE PASSING OF THE DRAGON AND OTHER STORIES by Ken Liu in golden dawn light on a crowded mantel.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about THE LOOM TREE by Angela Mi Young Hur. A mythic magical campus novel surging with depth, mother-daughter magic, archetypal agency, fairy tale spells & the stories that unite us. And a hot frog man. Our drink is the Alvsdahl Spritz.
An advance review copy of THE LOOM TREE by Angela Mi Young Hur on a brick plinth alongside a reddish drink in a gold-rimmed glass.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It’s Mailbag Monday! This week we have heists planned by dragons, future trials, & ape men of an earlier age, horror in the hollows of the earth, strange magic, thrillers on the edge of reality, and the quests of corvids. I can’t wait to read & I can’t wait to share with all of you. What looks good?
[A stack of books in golden nighttime porch light (bottom to top): KA by John Crowley, THE DEATH AND BIRTH OF ILIANA MAREK by David Liss, IN HER EXQUISITE CLUTCHES by Auston Habershaw, OF THE APES by Steven Erikson, THE FIFTH INFLECTION by Gautam Bhatia, MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS by Kelly Link, UNEARTHED ed. Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi]
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR by H.G. Parry. A historical fantasy set at a magical university in the wake of the Great War, fizzing with the glow of Bright Young Things & dark dryadic secrets. Our drink is the Camford Fizz.
A paperback copy of THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR by H.G. Parry alongside a fizz in a highball glass.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Wanna have a good time that's also a mega bummer? Might I recommend Peter Watts' new collection: FOLD CATASTROPHES. A grimly powerful set of stories, this is science fiction at its weighty best. Unnerving & unswerving, with a driving force that pulls you toward futures near & far, truly compelling!
A paperback copy of FOLD CATASTROPHES by Peter Watts on a green granite countertop.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I wax rhapsodic about THE ARCHIVE UNDYING here! youtu.be/abGavBr8bfw
A frosty glass with a pale green-white cocktail sits alongside an advance reader copy of THE ARCHIVE UNDYING. A bounty of bee balm and a blue sky lie in the background.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
KALYNA THE SOOTHSAYER and KALYNA THE CUTTHROAT by Elijah Kinch Spector are the very best of fantasy. Immersive worlds, big ideas, thrilling action, and a beautifully assured sense of voice. They are timely and timeless, books that should be read again and again.
The cover of KALYNA THE CUTTHROAT by Elijah Kinch Spector. Six palaces jut out like the spokes of a wheel against a carved blue backdrop.The cover of KALYNA THE CUTTHROAT by Elijah Kinch Spector. Blue buildings emerge from an auburn wheel against a bright orange backdrop.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about BODIES OF MAGIC by Freya Marske. A medical magical mystery that draws you into the travails of young healers on the cusp of their careers. Queer, smart, enthralling fantasy. Our drink is the Lantern Night, frosty and refreshing!
BODIES OF MAGIC by Freya Marske alongside a blue-green-grey cocktail  in brilliant late summer light.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Chillin with a penicillin
Holding up a penicillin cocktail in a cut crystal glass in front of purple basil
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Oh, I, uh, didn't know that was happening.
Maple leaves starting to change their color. Early compared to their fellows.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Where to find me this fall!! I'll be doing events here in Kentucky and I'm so excited to be traveling with @stgibson.bsky.social to Kansas City (I hear everything is up to date there!) for a suuuuper cool event next month!! Hope you'll join me for books, samples, and great conversation!!
September 10
Louisville Give For Good 
Louisville Book Festival

October 3
Boozy Book Festival
Kansas City, MO
October 24
Louisville Book Festival
Louisville, KY

November 14
Kentucky Book Festival
Lexington, KY
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about FORTUNE'S WAKE by C.L. Clark. A sword and sorcery novella of lesbian monster hunting, this is a swashbuckling adventure through sea caves with sharp spears and strange sorceries. Our drink is the Stormwatch, a briny bright sour!
An advance reader copy of FORTUNE'S WAKE by C.L. Clark sits on a red brick plinth alongside a blue-green drink in a stemmed glass with a salt rim.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Mailbag Monday never takes a holiday! This week we have a bunch that I have been SUPER excited to read including medical magical mysteries, queer fantasy by queer mascs, a heady blend of fantasy and SFnal irreality, vampires, dragons, grand adventure and sweeping romance. What should I read next?
A stack of books in a wildflower garden (bottom to top): THE PASSING OF THE DRAGON AND OTHER STORIES by Ken Liu, A GOD OF COUNTLESS GUISES by Bradley P. Beaulieu, BODIES OF MAGIC by Freya Marske, THE GENTLEMAN AND HIS VOWSMITH by Rebecca Ide, THE DRAKON KING by Terry J. Benton-Walker, APPLESEED by Matt Bell, ENGINES OF REASON by Adrian Tchaikovsky,  THE DARKNESS BITES BACK by Laura R. Samotin and Ben Alderson
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I love how they glow
Pink and golden flowers glowing in the evening light. Pink and golden flowers glowing in the evening light. Closer up.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Is there a better setting to read @clclarkwrites.com than the gym? I think not! FORTUNE’S WAKE just came out from @grimdarkmagazine.bsky.social
Holding up FORTUNE’S WAKE by C.L. Clark at the gym
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about BLACKTAIL by Scott Hawkins. A vengeance driven animal tale of a wolf's quest to meet God, darkly funny & deeply moving. Come for the squirrel death cults; stay for the strange magics of the Old Kitty Mother. Our drink is the Far Hill.
An advance review copy of BLACKTAIL by Scott Hawkins alongside a dark, almost black, drink in a stemmed glass at golden hour.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
These books have got that DAWG in ‘em. Awoooooo!! Happy #NationalDogDay! What are your favorite fictional canines??
[a stack of books featuring dogs, wolves, and werewolves, the goodest good boys (bottom to top): THE WOLF AND HIS KING by Finn Longman, BLACKTAIL by Scott Hawkins, NONA THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir, NO GODS, NO MONSTERS by Cadwell Turnbull, FEED THEM SILENCE by Lee Mandelo, THE RED WINTER by Cameron Sullivan, THE DEVOURERS by Indra Das, LEARN TO HOWL by Jennifer R. Donohue, FIND ME WHERE IT ENDS by Cassandra Khaw, BORED GAY WEREWOLF by Tony Santorellla]
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about THE SIXTH NIK by Daniel Kraus. An arresting SF novel tumescent with body horror, a compelling look at the intersection of agency & obligation, set against a gonzo future half a millennium away. Our drink, a mocktail, is the Niffakoq.
[A hardcover copy of THE SIXTH NIK by Daniel Kraus alongside a drink the color of a bruise, all purple black to lush yellow with salt along the rim. Book and drink are set against a brushed nickel backdrop.]
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
There should be more mules in fantasy novels. Where are the mules???
A maaaasive mule at the KY state fair
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
You gotta mulemaxx, bro. You gotta.
A tall bearded man (me) stands next to an exceptionally massive mule at the Kentucky State Fair.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
End the tyranny!!
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about INNAMORATA by Ava Reid. A gothic fantasy of epic proportions, this novel plumbs the depths of human appetites: for love, for flesh, for vengeance, for understanding. Grand in scope and intimate, our drink is the Mistress of Teeth.
A hardcover of INNAMORATA by Ava Reid alongside a blush red drink in a lace engraved stemmed glass. Book and drink are nestled amid pruple basil and rich red zinnias.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
It's Mailbag Monday! Today we pounce on an ounce with a v exciting snow leopard book, we're hunting monsters, descending to the Underworld by way of Chicago, sailing high seas, wandering the wood of Broceliande, plus blood-soaked lesbian vampires & a full season of short stories! What's on your TBR?
A stack of books held before a stand of purple basil (bottom to top): THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD by J.R. Dawson, THE GHOST OF THE MOUNTAINS by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi, OLD MOON QUARTERLY VOL. 9 & 10, FOLD CATASTROPHES by Peter Wats, THE BONE SHIPS by R.J. Barker, OUR CRIMSON CAGE by Ladz, FORTUNE’S WAKE by C.L. Clark
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Librarymax with me, bro?
Library bookshelves gleaming at golden hour
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Two years of reading a short story every day! An absolute blessing for my reading life! The past two months I've read from these collections and anthologies (including one that I have a story in), as well as the online magazine Lightspeed. Can't wait to spend another year reading!
A stack of books (bottom to top): THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES by Ray Bradbury, BURIED DEEP AND OTHER STORIES by Naomi Novik, RABBIT TEST by Samantha Mills, WE'RE HERE: THE BEST QUEER SPECULATIVE 2022 ed. Naomi Kanakia and Charles Payseur, SHATTER THE SUN ed. dave ring, WHITE CAT, BLACK DOG by Kelly Link
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about MULTITUDE by Marie Vibbert, a tale of first contact as an alien hivemind makes its journey to Earth. Global reach and deep empathy pervade as we meditate on connection and transformation. Our drink is Us, bright and beautiful.
A blush pink drink in the garden alongside a paperback copy of MULTITUDE by Marie Vibbert.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Hay, read any good books lately?
A stack of books on a hay bale (bottom to top): WHEN THE SAHARA WAS GREEN  by Martin Williams, CRÆFT by Alexander Langlands, GREEN AND DEADLY THINGS by Jenn Lyons, THE FOREVER SEA by Joshua Phillip Johnson, WAKE THE BONES by Elizabeth Kilcoyne, UPROOTED by Naomi Novik, THE WORKS OF VERMIN by Hiron Ennes, UNTETHERED SKY by Fonda Lee, A BOTANICAL DAUGHTER by Noah Medlock
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
A baker's dozen of delights! I've had a great time with RABBIT TEST by @samtasticbooks.com the past couple weeks. Timely tales of great resonance, beautifully arranged for thematic depth, and with excellent endnotes (always one of my favorite features in a collection). Definitely check it out!
RABBIT TEST AND OTHER STORIES by Samantha Mills on a wooden table in golden afternoon light
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about A TASTE OF HONEY by Kai Ashante Wilson. An achingly tender story of love and duty, the end made all the hair on my arms stand up. Queer, lovely, immensely powerful. This is a truly VITAL novella. Our drink is Olorum.
A paperback of Kai Ashante Wilson's A TASTE OF HONEY in front of summer hydrangeas. The book is flanked by a statuette of big cat (ambiguously read as a leopard or cheetah) and a highball with a pale yellow drink.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Kayla HACKS saying "Oh, gay ass."
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I like big books and I cannot lie! Whatcha wanna see a drink for next?
THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE by Samantha Shannon, THE SHIPWRIGHT AND THE SHROUDWEAVER by Rafael Torrubia, AGE OF ASH by Daniel Abraham, ASUNDER by Kerstin Hall, INNAMORATA by Ava Reid, THE SHADOW OF WHAT WAS LOST by James Islington, THE TOWER OF THE TYRANT by J.T. Greathouse, THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR by Tad Williams, PASHA THE STORM by Linda H. Codega
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about THE FELICITY COMPLEX by August Clarke. A retrofuturist sci-fi satire replete with gorgeous gorgeous girl-shaped things in vats, both timely & timeless, a marvelous addition to the gonzo canon of queer SFF. Our drink is Specimen 679-B.
[image desc: an advance review copy of THE FELICITY COMPLEX by August Clarke alongside a milky colored drink garnished with a mint spring in front of a bounty of white hydrangea.]
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
It's Mailbag Monday!! This week brings big bold space opera, thrilling fantasy, Appalachian inspired adventures, realist literary fiction, and some long desired novellas from authors fresh and familar alike. Have you read any of these? What's on your TBR for the dog days of summer?
A stack of books in morning garden light (bottom to top)" THE SIXTH NIK by Daniel Kraus,  NO MAN’S DAUGHTER by Justine Lombardi, QUEEN DEMON by Martha Wells, WHEEL OF THE INFINITE by Martha Wells, THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS by Ocean Vuong, THE SURF by Kwaku Osei-Afrifa,  THE DIFFICULT LOVES OF MARIA MAKILING by Wayne Santos, KID WOLF AND KRAKEN BOY by Sam J. Miller, POLLEN FROM A FUTURE HARVEST by Derek Künksen, UNTO THE GODLESS WHAT LITTLE REMAINS by Mário Coelho
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
A rainbow stack for all seasons! Featuring all Neon Hemlock titles. Neon Hemlock is THEE premier queer SFFH indie press. Top notch fiction chosen with the very best eye! Everything they put out is a must read for me and something I highly recommend to you!!
[A stack of books (bottom to top): SHATTER THE SUN ed. dave ring, CALL AND RESPONSE by Cadwell Turnbull, A NECESSARY CHAOS by Brent C. Lambert, THE MYSTERY OF THE BITTEN PEACH by Cecilia Tan, REDUNDANCIES AND POTENTIALS by Dom Dickey, UNCOMMON CHARM by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver, THE SECRET SKIN by Wendy Wagner, NO SUCH THING AS DUTY by Lara Elena Donnelly, STONE AND STEEL by Eboni Dunbar]
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
This is the sort of bold thematic fantasy I am desperate to see more of and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND checking the trilogy out. You will thank me.
THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO, THE TRUTH OF THE ALEKE, THE MEMORY OF THE OGISI by Moses Ose Utomi stacked on a wooden desk
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Simultaneously, they are magnetically atmospheric, searing in every sense as you walk the desert desperate for water. The world changes so much in the course of centuries and yet, it is all to often the same. The past and future are as familiar to the present as they are foreign.
THE MEMORY OF THE OGISI by Moses Ose Utomi on a wooden desk
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
These are heavy novellas, weighty, even in their slim packages, concerned with the cycles of history and memory, of vengeance and grace, about how we are shaped by stories and how we struggle to escape them. Looping and circling like an Ouroboros.
THE TRUTH OF THE ALEKE by Moses Ose Utomi on a wooden desk
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
and I was right, only more so! I DEVOURED all three books this Sunday, setting one aside for the other as quick as I finished the last. It was a tremendously joyful experience, the sort of giddy reading you seldom have as an adult.
THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO by Moses Ose Utomi on a wooden desk
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
It is a joy to simply read and think, to wolf down books in heady grasping gulps. That was my experience with the Forever Desert trilogy by @mosesoseutomi.bsky.social. They had been on my TBR for AGES, but I had a sense I would want to read them all together, perhaps one a day for three days...
THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO, THE TRUTH OF THE ALEKE, THE MEMORY OF THE OGISI by Moses Ose Utomi spread on a wooden desk
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Made some fresh orgeat, at last
Looks like Mai Tai's back on the menu, boys.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
And the Serpent Queen
Hoping open a copy of SHATTER THE SUN ed. dave ring to “The Peacock Wizard and the Serpent Queen” by Elias Eells
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
#sciencefantasy
A pin oak tree and a cell tower against a clear blue sky
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Summer is for the Oak King
Selfie in the golden light beneath a pin oak
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we’re talking about DAEDALUS IS DEAD by Seamus Sullivan. The perfect novella length for a mythic recounting of the famed inventor and his grief, this is a pensive meditation on fatherhood in lyrical style. Marvelous! Our drink is the Wax Wing Fizz.
A hardcover copy of DAEDALUS IS DEAD by Seamus Sullivan on a bookcase with several works of ancient history. Alongside the book is a drink with a beeswax colored drink capped by a bright white foam.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
It’s a good day to read about snakes who are ladies who are queens who are mean.
The Peacock Wizard and the Cave of the Serpent Queen by Elias Eells
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
NEW DRINK ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talkin about THE SORCERER OF THE WILDEEPS by Kai Ashante Wilson. This is a science-fantasy sword & sorcery novella of profound poetry & ardent action, as a caravan crosses a deadly magical expanse. A landmark of queer fantasy. Our drink is Demoniac.
A paperback of THE SORCERER OF THE WILDEEPS by Kai Ashante Wilson alongside a bruise-dark purple red drink in a low glass with a salted rom. White hydrangeas bloom in the background.
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
How it feels reading short story collections #booksky
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
It's Mailbag Monday! This week we've got gay tree murders, dogs on dogs on dogs, funerals and festivals, sword-swinging adventures, and Shakespearean sorcerers. I love a mix of authors I've read for years and new-to-me voices. Perfect for long evenings of summer reading! What's on your TBR?
[A stack of books on a fence post in golden dawn light (bottom to top): BLACKTAIL by Scott Hawkins, THOUGHTS BE BLOODY by Auden Patrick, HYPERION by Dan Simmons, SPIDERLIGHT by Adrian Tchaikovsky, A MOUTHFUL OF DUST by Nghi Vo, PSYCHOPOMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE by Eden Royce, THE SCARLET BALL by Nghi Vo, THE TOMB OF THE CORPSE KING AND OTHER STORIES by Anthony Ryan, FIND ME WHERE IT ENDS by Cassandra Khaw, THE KILLING OF A CHESTNUT TREE by Oliver K. Langmead.]
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