Best Reads So Far (Fantasy + Non-Fantasy), DNFs, Book Bingo Check-In & Writing Updates | Book Dragon Banter

Book Dragon Banter hosts discuss our best reads of the year so far (not limited to fantasy), current reads, DNFs, and palate cleansers. Sage is reading Victoria Aveyard’s Realm Breaker series and shares updates on her reading challenges, StoryGraph tracking, and postponing unfinished series like Blood Over Bright Haven. Katherine discusses cozy rereads, nonfiction reading goals, tracking stats, and favorites including Voyage of the Damned and Bloody Jack. Zinzi shares being on a reading ban to focus on writing, DNFs like Master of Salt and Bones and Feather So Vicious and a palate cleanser with The Other Bennet Sister. We compare progress on our book bingo challenges, share top fantasy picks (including This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews), and give writing journey updates, including a secret project and draft/revision progress. We close with book club news on Fable reading The Spear Cuts Through Water and upcoming season wrap and summer deep dive.

BDB Fable Fantasy Focused Book Club: https://fable.co/club/diverse-fantasy-with-zinzi-bree-271215645134?referralID=f9KdWh3wtd

Find the Downloadable Book Bingo Reading Challenges here:

Book Dragon Banter Substack - https://bookdragonbanter.substack.com/

Podcast links:

Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/bookdragonbanter

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@bookdragonbanterpod

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bookdragonbanter/

Other links:

Book Dragon Ink Online Writing Retreats: https://www.bookdragoneditorial.com/ink-retreats

Write With Me, Zinzi Bree - Substack: https://writewithmezinzibree.substack.com/

Sage: https://readorbleed.substack.com/

Katherine: https://www.bookdragoneditorial.com/

Current Read: The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647357/the-spear-cuts-through-water-by-simon-jimenez/

00:00 Welcome to Book Dragon Banter

00:34 Episode Agenda and Rules

01:24 What We Are Reading Now

03:46 Reading Ban and Secret Project

04:46 Reader Chair Challenges Check In

05:20 Sage Updates and Series Waiting

08:38 Katherine Nonfiction and Tracking

11:03 Magical Element Bingo Progress

13:41 Strategy for Blackout Bingo

18:18 DNFs and Reading Regrets

21:54 Sage DNF Wuthering Heights

22:34 Why We Still Want Endings

23:54 DNF Or Not Right Now

24:46 Cozy Fantasy Trust Broken

26:57 Boredom And Backstory

27:54 Audiobooks And AI Voices

29:08 Palate Cleanser Picks

33:16 Fantasy Favorites So Far

37:24 Non Fantasy Best Reads

42:01 Writers Desk Check In

45:42 Goals Versus Habits

49:34 Wrap Up And Next Reads

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We gush over our latest book club pick, How to Find a Nameless Fae by A.J. Lancaster, a cozy fantasy romance Rumpelstiltskin retelling with spice, a middle-aged heroine, a melodramatic fae hero, and an interfering sentient house. We share why we all enjoyed it (cozy tone with meaningful stakes, great banter, classic fae lore like true names and power, and fun details like griffins, talking cats, magic “insignia” scents, and the house doing chores and providing lingerie). Spoilers included as we discuss character dynamics, consent, the bond/mated-leaning setup, miscommunication handled through insecurities, and how the gold curse and magic complications play out. We also talk narrator voice/chapter headings, standout lines about names and homes, and our hope for more books in this world.

BDB Fable Fantasy Focused Book Club: https://fable.co/club/diverse-fantasy-with-zinzi-bree-271215645134?referralID=f9KdWh3wtd

Podcast links:

Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/bookdragonbanter

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@bookdragonbanterpod

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bookdragonbanter/

Other links:

Book Dragon Ink Online Writing Retreats: https://www.bookdragoneditorial.com/ink-retreats

Write With Me, Zinzi Bree - Substack: https://writewithmezinzibree.substack.com/

Sage: https://readorbleed.substack.com/

Katherine: https://www.bookdragoneditorial.com/

Current Book: How to Find a Nameless Fae by A.J. Lancaster

Author Site: https://ajlancaster.com/books/other-projects/how-to-find-a-nameless-fae/

Next Book: The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647357/the-spear-cuts-through-water-by-simon-jimenez/

00:00 Late Night Book High

00:32 Podcast Intro and Subscribe

01:10 Content Warning and Book Pick

01:54 Fable Book Club Plug

02:40 What This Book Is

04:11 Why We Loved It

05:57 Spoilers Begin Retelling Talk

07:54 Characters and Relatability

08:46 Mal Style and Cat Energy

13:05 Spice Level and Tattoos

15:51 Bonds Names and Power

19:35 Fairy Lore and Favorite Quotes

21:10 Chosen Names Queer Rep

21:46 Sentient House Cozy Living

22:29 Chores Lingerie Power Balance

24:03 Beauty Beast Narrator Voice

27:02 Made Up Words Pagefire

30:19 Insignia Scents Magic

32:21 Gold Curse Spice Fallout

33:38 Dream Bond Miscommunication

37:29 Fated Mates Consent Done Right

39:00 Unexplored Fae Magic Sequel Hooks

41:13 Trauma Gender Family Sacrifice

45:11 Next Read Spear Cuts Water

46:57 Reviews Retreats Outro

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We welcome you to Book Dragon Banter, where we (Sage, Katherine, and Zinzi Bree) talk fantasy and romantasy spice, from early reads like Mists of Avalon and Kushiel’s Dart to how modern romantasy has become more explicit on the page. We discuss when sex serves plot versus functioning like erotica, how unhealthy power dynamics, manipulation, and grooming can be portrayed (and sometimes left unaddressed), and why good sex doesn’t equal a healthy relationship. We also talk about foreplay-focused scene structure, common tropes like oral sex, language preferences and euphemisms (including a humorous run-through of terms from Naughty Words for Nice Writers), and the recurring age-gap fantasy problem.

BDB Fable Fantasy Focused Book Club: https://fable.co/club/diverse-fantasy-with-zinzi-bree-271215645134?referralID=f9KdWh3wtd

Current Book: How to Find a Nameless Fae by A.J. Lancaster

Author Site: https://ajlancaster.com/books/other-projects/how-to-find-a-nameless-fae/

Podcast links:

Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/bookdragonbanter

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@bookdragonbanterpod

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bookdragonbanter/

Other links:

Book Dragon Ink Retreats: https://www.bookdragoneditorial.com/ink-retreats

Write With Me, Zinzi Bree - Substack: https://writewithmezinzibree.substack.com/

Sage: https://readorbleed.substack.com/

Katherine: https://www.bookdragoneditorial.com/

Books Mentioned:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

The Carry On Series by Rainbow Rowell

ACOTAR by Sarah J Maas

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Naughty Words for Nice Writers: A Romance Novel Thesaurus by Cara Bristol

"I Give You My Body . . .": How I Write Sex Scenes by Diana Gabaldon

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

00:00 Uncensored Opener

00:21 Podcast Intro and Topic

00:47 First Fantasy Sex Reads

02:59 Romantasy Gets Explicit

04:17 Grooming and Power Dynamics

06:01 After the Happily Ever After

07:32 First Exposure Stories

09:09 Self Discovery and Communication

10:52 Mind Reading and Mental Load

13:15 Male Gaze vs Female Gaze

14:33 Writing Better Sex Scenes

16:14 Foreplay Tropes and Realism

19:12 Words and Euphemisms

20:55 Sexual Agency and Experience

23:05 Age Gaps and Immortal Lovers

25:53 Twilight Stalker Debate

27:30 Naming Body Parts

28:56 Euphemisms Versus Realism

29:51 Spice Goes Mainstream

30:24 Vagina Word List

32:48 Clit And Breasts Terms

34:31 Bridgerton Garden Metaphor

36:54 Wrap Up And Book Club

38:22 Unhinged Spice Recs

39:1

Get in touch with us!