August 2026

The Indie Author Edition

August was Indie Author Month at The Book Studio, and the featured read was Court of Ravens and Ruin by Eliza Raine.

One of my favorite parts of owning a bookstore is introducing readers to books they may not have found otherwise, so for August, I wanted to do exactly that. The goal was to choose an indie author and a book that felt a little under the radar, then discover it together.

Our pick brought us into a fantasy world filled with magic, danger, slow-building tension, and plenty to talk about along the way.

For the box, I wanted everything to feel warm, bookish, and a little old-world, with pieces that felt just as useful for the reading experience as they were pretty.

The leather journal was one of my favorite pieces, handmade with an embossed leather cover and cotton pages for notes, favorite quotes, and all the theories that inevitably happen while reading fantasy. The velvet bookmarks featured a stack of books, a branch, and a fountain pen as little nods to readers, writers, and discovery.

I also included a handmade wool felt bookmark, along with a book weight for hands-free reading. And because I wanted something directly from the author herself, I reached out to Eliza and she agreed to sign bookplates especially for our Book Club members.

Indie Author August was such a fun excuse to step outside the usual bestseller lists and discover something new together.