Stephanie, Marketing and Promotions Manager
Favorite Genres: Fantasy, humor, mystery, and non-fiction books about food
Favorite Authors: Terry Pratchett, Juliet Marillier, Roald Dahl, Garth Nix, Mary Roach, and Sarah Vowell
Devon is part of a mysterious group of beings known as Book Eaters. They look human in most respects, but they're fast, strong, and have a special set of teeth that they use to eat books. At least, most of them do - sometimes they are Mind Eaters, who have tubular tongues and eat minds. This is a beautiful and frightening fantasy novel about how far a mother will go to protect her child - even if she thinks he's a monster.
Most people love music of some kind, but maybe haven't taken the time to analyze why they love what they love. Susan Rogers (who worked with PRINCE and then went on to get a PhD in cognitive neuroscience) and Ogi Ogas are here to help you figure out what your "listener profile" is based on how your brain responds to key elements in music. This was a fascinating read (and listen, since many songs are suggested throughout!).
Mary Roach is hands down my favorite nonfiction author—I love learning about new things through her eyes and her fantastic sense of humor. And Fuzz is classic Mary Roach, filled with bizarre experiments, strange stories, easy-to-understand Science that never talks down to you, and (of course!) hilarious footnotes. Read this book to learn about killer trees, laser scarecrows, and drunk elephants.
What a gorgeous, sexy book! Akwaeke Emezi can write beautifully in any genre, and here they take on Romance. Feyi lost the love of her life in a car accident 5 years ago and finally feels like she can move on with her life and her art career. At the insistence of her best friend, she’s getting out into the dating scene again and meets the perfect guy — too bad she can’t ignore her attraction to his father.
I would not consider myself a horror fan, but I like creepy, and Stephen Graham Jones's writing hits the sweet spot for me. His writing is amazing, he hits on real and serious issues (he's Blackfeet, as are the characters in this book, and much of the story revolves around the idea of what it means to be Native American in the 21st century), and the creep factor is brilliantly done. The basic set up is four Blackfeet, ten years ago, went to a sacred place they weren't supposed to be, and shot an entire herd of elk. And the elk have not forgotten. I'll leave the rest for you to discover.
If you love adorable animals, coffee, and heartwarming characters that will make you feel good, pick up Cat's Cafe! Cat owns a coffee shop, and they brew delicious coffee for a cast of animals who frequently need some help, including the caffeine-crazed Penguin, the anxiety-ridden Rabbit, and the knife wielding Kiwi. This is full-on feel good humor!
This was a fascinating look into the life of an amazing woman whom I had previously never heard of - and I'm so glad I know about Nur Jahan now! In a time when I certainly didn't expect it, Nur Jahan rose to be one of the most powerful people in her kingdom, and Ruby Lal sets out in this historical account to give as accurate a portrayal as possible of this woman who ruled a kingdom. I was captivated, well worth the read!
