Rachael
Fun Facts About Rachael:
1. Her friends and family always told her she would be good at working in a bookstore.
2. Her dream life involves a personal library, two giant fluffy dogs, and one giant fluffy cat.
3. Strangers help her parallel park in public too often not to be embarrassing.
4. She grew up in the Seattle area but only now loves Seattle.
5. Her guilty pleasure reads are trashy romance books set in NYC (don't ask why, she's not even partial to New York as a city).
Reviews & Recommendations
Listen. Everyone has that one series, or multiple series, that they tell everyone they meet they need to read these books. This is one of those series for me. The Demon King is the first in a fantasy series that is genuinely one of the best I've ever read. It's thrilling, immersive, diverse, and even romantic at times. It brings common fantasy tropes together in a fresh way that will constantly leave you wanting more. Also, there's a warrior princess and a boy who grew up thinking he was (semi) normal. I mean, what more could you want?
This is a really wonderful coming-of-age novel set mostly in the English countryside. The writing style and narrative choice lends to a very immersive experience while reading. You follow the main character growing up through many family struggles and her first love while being transported around England. It's heartwarming, very witty, and an overall great read.
This is a perfect atmospheric read for the late fall (specifically around Halloween). It involves an obsessive P.I., the dead daughter of a famous reclusive horror director, and possibly the paranormal?! It's also mixed media which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're into that sort of thing (like I am) then you'll love the newspaper clippings and horror movie posters scattered throughout this book.
This series is essentially Sherlock after Sherlock. He's retired and living in the British countryside when he meets a curious young girl who finagles her way into becoming his mentee. If you're as obsessed with all things Sherlock Holmes as I am then this series is probably one for you.
This is genuinely one of the best books I've ever read. It's a high fantasy where you're following Kvothe (don't bother trying to figure out how to pronounce it) growing up and becoming a legendary magician. It has a way of sucking you in and leaving you begging for more when you're done. The world building mixed with the morally grey characters is just *chef's kiss* and I can't recommend it enough.
Gilda Joyce is a psychic detective highschooler who just can't help but to find herself in the middle of mysteries requiring her very psychic talents. She's quirky and fun and makes you want to be a psychic detective as well. This may be a young adult series, but it's really for anyone who likes lighthearted detective mysteries.
Did you binge listen to Serial when it came out? Do you love listening to murder podcasts and watching true crime documentaries? If you answered yes to either of those questions then Sadie is the book for you! Using a duel perspective, you follow Sadie on her revenge quest to kill the murderer of her younger sister as well as the journalist tracing her footsteps trying to find her while documenting his journey via podcast. This book will completely suck you in and have you saying "oh no" the entire time. It's definitely not for the lighthearted and deals with varying forms of child abuse but is absolutely unputdownable.
If you want to almost pee your pants or fall off the seat of a bus while reading a book, I would highly recommend this one. It's a collection of comics that once were on the author's blog depicting her everyday life. It deals with some pretty tough subjects while putting a humerous spin on them. 10/10 would recommend.
There's nothing I love more than mythology. Except maybe a good romance. Fortunately for me, and for you if you feel the same way, Lore Olympus manages to cover both of those genres in this webtoon-turned-graphic-novel. This Hades and Persephone retelling toes the line between a modern story and the ancient gods and manages to sneak in a couple other stories of ancient Greek lore! We get a fantastic slow burn romance so the tensions are high, the drama is never-ending, there's great fashion, and there are little dogs. What more could you possibly want??? Read this book!
For you unfortunate souls who don't know who Caitlin Doughty is, she is a mortician who has found a fantastic way to educate us about death without that ever-encroaching sense of dread and finality popping up in the back of your mind! From Here to Eternity in particular is about various mortuary practices from around the world and is utterly fascinating. While reading this book, you see a unique version of cremation in Colorado, mummified bodies in Indonesia, natural burials in North Carolina, and more. If you're into sociology, anthropology, or just think death-related practices are interesting, then I highly recommend this book!
