Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf
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Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf
@eliaseells.bsky.social
5.2K followers 860 following 10K posts
Kentucky-based author, writer of the fantastic and delectable. Host of Bar Cart Bookshelf. COCKTAILS AND CONSOLES (Fall '24). Freelance publicist. He/him 🏳️‍🌈
Inquiries: [email protected]
https://linktr.ee/eliaseells
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eliaseells.bsky.social
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about THE GREAT WORK by Sheldon Costa. A strange alchemical journey through the Pacific Northwest at the end of the 1890s, this is a powerful emotionally & intellectually mature novel as salamanders wander wild. Our drink is Sweet Vitriol.
THE GREAT WORK by Sheldon Costa on a shelf with alchemical treatises and a red drink in a low glass.
January 20, 2026 at 5:43 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
I surely will! I had the great pleasure of reading a couple chapters this weekend alongside one of our Amur tigers here in Louisville!
TIGERS BETWEEN EMPIRES by Jonathan Slaght alongside an Amur tiger An Amur tiger lounging at the Louisville Zoo, which just welcomed a new tigress on a breeding recommendation as part of the species survival plan.
January 18, 2026 at 4:00 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about MIRAGE CITY by Lev A.C. Rosen. The latest Andy Mills queer historical mystery, this exploit is a roadtrip down to sunny sinister Los Angeles on a missing persons case. Our drink is the Bacchanal, for motorcyclists & Mattachines alike!
[Image desc: a hardcover copy of MIRAGE CITY by Lev A.C. Rosen on a coffee table alongside a reddish purple-pink drink in a stemmed glass.]
January 13, 2026 at 5:31 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about NO SUCH THING AS DUTY by Lara Elena Donnelly. A keenly observed historical novella bitten with the sharpest edge of the speculative, this is a tender bite of lust and bittersweet tang. Our drink is the Asset, supple, stirred, & strong.
NO SUCH THING AS DUTY by Lara Elena Donnelly on a brick plinth alongside a rich red drink in a stemmed glass.
January 6, 2026 at 5:56 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
It's Mailbag Monday! The holiday weeks were good to me (can you tell I put nonfiction on my wishlist?) & we have some real treats to celebrate! Epic fantasy, ecology, horror & Canadiana, snakes, cats, waterways, & the places that introduce so many of us to the world of animals. What are you reading?
A stack of books on a desk alongside an octopus mug (bottom to top): IS A RIVER ALIVE? by Robert Macfarlane, THE ZOO by Isobel Charman, SLITHER by Stephen S. Hall, THE COMING OF CONAN THE CIMMERIAN by Robert E. Howard, GREEN & DEADLY THINGS by Jenn Lyons, WE ARE ALL MONSTERS HERE by Kelley Armstrong, YEAR'S BEST CANADIAN FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION Vol. 3 ed. Stephen Kotowych, TIGERS BETWEEN EMPIRES by Jonathan C. Slaight, THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEMONIC OX by Lois McMaster Bujold
January 5, 2026 at 5:23 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
It's the end of the month! This December we covered three stories on Bar Cart Bookshelf: ghosts & tales of mythic proportions, the depths of the Underworld to the far reaches of space, with plenty of adventure & a ton of heart. The perfect way to round out my year! Have YOU tried the drinks yet?
[A stack on the Bar Cart (bottom to top): CINDER HOUSE by Freya Marske, RED STAR HUSTLE by Sam J. Miller, HADES II by Supergiant Games]
December 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Ten highlights from my reading year! Short fiction has really dominated my mind in 2025, along with the Eternal Champion, blood-soaked operas redolent with perfume, and the Saints of Night. Plus some ecology, of course! Here's to another year of great reads!!
A stack of books before the fire (bottom to top): BECOMING EARTH by Ferris Jabr, ELRIC OF MELNIBONÉ by Michael Moorcock, THE WORKS OF VERMIN by Hiron Ennes, WHEN THE EARTH WAS GREEN by Riley Black, URANIANS by Theodore McCombs, AMPLITUDES ed. Lee Mandelo, THE SECRET MARKET OF THE DEAD by Giovanni de Feo, THE IRON BELOW REMEMBERS by Sharang Biswas, CALL AND RESPONSE by Christopher Caldwell, MAKING HISTORY by K.J. Parker
December 22, 2025 at 4:54 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Moonlight guide you! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about HADES 2. Battling through the depths of the Underworld and to the heights of Olympus, Melinoë's war against time is endlessly replayable: my most anticipated story of 2025! Our drink is the Golden Apple, strife not required.
HADES II on a limestone hearth alongside a coupe glass with a pale golden drink within.
December 16, 2025 at 5:11 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
It’s Mailbag Monday! This week we have gothics, gays, and scholars, sword and sorcery and planet and the madness of the mind, fallen temples and magical libraries, ghosts and serpents and evil gods. Wonderful reading for my winter break! What looks good to you?
[A stack of books (bottom to top): Issues 1-7 of New Edge Sword and Sorcery ed. Oliver Brackenbury, THE TEETH OF DAWN by Marina Lostetter, HONOR & HERESY by Max Francis, THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED by Victor Manibo, THE ESSENTIAL PATRICIA MCKILLIP by Patricia McKillip, THE HAUNTING OF WILLIAM THORN by Ben Alderson]
December 15, 2025 at 5:11 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Bimonthly short story report! I had a great time with these collections & anthology as well as the online magazines Nightmare & Beneath Ceaseless Skies. It's been great reading some longer collections right through, plus getting a range of new & familiar voices in ecofiction!! Fantastic stuff!
[image desc: a stack of books atop a bookcase (bottom to top): ECO24: THE YEAR'S BEST SPECULATIVE ECOFICTION ed. Marissa van Uden, THE UNIVERSE BOX by Michael Swanwick, LETTERS FROM AN IMAGINARY COUNTRY by Theodora Goss]
December 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Is this anything?
Curb Your Enthusiasm poster with Carol Sturka (Pluribus (2025-)) rendered over Larry David standing amid melting icebergs. The title has been changed to "Plurb Your Enthusiasm".
December 10, 2025 at 4:43 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about RED STAR HUSTLE by Sam J. Miller. A bold space opera noir exploring queer intimacy, sex work, conspiracy, & addiction. Powerful, thoughtful, & propulsive science fiction. Our drink, the Exilarch, is a mocktail for the depths of space!
[Image desc: RED STAR HUSTLE by Sam J Miller alongside a highball glass, both awash with rainbow light.]
December 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
I remember being so struck by this passage, uncommon in the broader corpus of available books, that I sent it around to some friends as memorable.
“And the room would stink of us for hours afterwards. But it was a delicious smell. Garrett grew into a great bear of a man in those years. He kept his auburn hair and beard closely trimmed. His face was round and apple-cheeked, and when he smiled it was a great toothy grin that split his face like a peach, and his eyes would crinkle and disappear. He was thick and burly with a broad chest, a hairy belly and big heavy arms and legs like tree trunks. It was the kind of weight that gives the impression of immense strength, and not ofill health. And, God, he was strong. The other freshers were noisy and boisterous and frequently broke the windows of those unfortunate enough to have rooms on the…” THE BLACK HUNGER (Pullen, 2024) pg. 13
December 7, 2025 at 3:20 AM
eliaseells.bsky.social
A perfect treat for my evening and for everyone on my holiday list!

Cheers!

www.carmichaelsbookstore.com/book/9780762...
a rich red cocktail in a highball glass along with a copy of COCKTAILS AND CONSOLES by Elias Eells, illustrated by Solji Lee, on a rough rock surrounded by greenery.]
December 5, 2025 at 10:10 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Happy #RepealDay! The end of Prohibition is one of my favorite holidays in this season of celebration, time for good company, good gifts, and good drinks! I'll be shaking up an Oregon Trail Buck from my book, COCKTAILS AND CONSOLES, this evening to celebrate!
[Image desc: Slide 1- Elias Eells holding COCKTAILS AND CONSOLES by Elias Eells (illustrated by Solji Lee).
December 5, 2025 at 10:10 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
How it feels reading Michael Swanwick’s new collection THE UNIVERSE BOX
December 5, 2025 at 8:09 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
The new editions of the FULL TRILOGY by @aliettedebodard.com are available for preorder now in ebook and paperback, wherever books are sold.

Check out book 1 here:

awfulagent.com/ebooks/the-h...
December 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Incisive, atmospheric, enchanting. These new editions of the award-winning trilogy feature bonus stories in the world of the Fallen and introductions by SFF luminaries @kateelliottsff.bsky.social and @aptshadow.bsky.social. Perfect for longtime fans of the series and new readers alike!
December 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
With a deliciously gothic atmosphere, queer characters from across the world, and high intrigue as the various Houses strive for control of the shattered city, the DOMINION OF THE FALLEN trilogy asks 'what is the price of power and what is the price of peace?'
December 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Coming March 10, 2026! I am thrilled to share the covers for the rerelease of Aliette de Bodard's DOMINION OF THE FALLEN trilogy. Enter a Paris wrecked by magical cataclysm and the mysterious Houses ruling the city in this beloved series of fallen angels, devious alchemists, & Vietnamese dragons...
December 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about CINDER HOUSE by Freya Marske. A hauntingly balletic retelling of the Cinderella story wherein a ghostly Ella remains bound to the house in which she died. Our drink is the Lady Ember, warming for cold nights with familiar friends.
A copy of CINDER HOUSE by Freya Marske sits in a warm inviting swathe of fabric along side an Irish Coffee mug filled with a drink garnished with a sprinjling of nutmeg.
December 2, 2025 at 5:43 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Monthly round up! We covered four books on Bar Cart Bookshelf this November: time loops and yearning, the end of the world and the oddities of Oz, lady knights, skeleton kings, glacial dragons, witches and wit and wiles. Have you seen all this month's episodes? Have you tried the drinks?
A stack of books reflected in a dark green countertop (bottom to top): WICKED by Gregory Maguire, THE EVERLASTING by Alix E. Harrow, DEAD HAND RULE by Max Gladstone, A COVENANT OF ICE by Karin Lowachee
November 28, 2025 at 4:50 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
He’s a pie guy
Pecan pies
November 27, 2025 at 8:54 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Not so smol anymore
Mean Bean Java Monster in a vending machine
November 26, 2025 at 8:08 PM
eliaseells.bsky.social
Timely and transcendent. I've had a marvelous time recently with ECO24, collecting some of the finest ecofiction of the last year. A chance to reflect on the anxieties of a changing world, and to consider possibilities for transformation and alternative paths. A critical collection for our time!!
ECO24: THE YEAR'S BEST SPECULATIVE ECOFICTION ed. by Marissa van Uden held up before a viburnum lush with autumn foliage.
November 26, 2025 at 4:45 PM