"Always be yourself. Unless you can be a pirate, then be a pirate."
McKenna spent her childhood being frisked before family events and dances just to make sure she wasn't smuggling a book on her person. Her favorite literary genres include science-fiction, mystery, YA, fantasy, and modern retellings of fairy tales.
Lyrical and haunting, this collection of short stories expertly combined Filipino folklore and urban fantasy. Yap’s writing is stunningly rich and strange. I will be thinking about this book for a long, long time. --McKenna
We’ve all heard the stories of disappearing children. They go through wardrobes and down rabbit holes into new, exciting, and often dangerous worlds. But what happens when they return?
This series is an absolute masterpiece, it’s the fantasy series I didn’t know I always wanted. --McKenna
This book is a precious gem of a story, a complete feel-good that left me grinning with hearts in my eyes. Delightful and witty, this is by far my favorite book of the year. --McKenna
"It was one thing to be told magic existed, quite another to have it literally give you the finger." Somber and thrilling, this book is absolutely brimming with ancient mysteries, magic, and the promise of danger. Mixed in with Bardugo’s sharp wit, I couldn’t put this book down. --McKenna
The band is getting back together! They used to be the best of the best, but now with their glory days long past, Clay Cooper and his band are old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. This fantasy adventure is raunchy, dirty, and has more than it’s fill of chaos. A fun-fuelled, rock n’ roll adventure. --McKenna
“Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine….”
One of the world’s best selling books of all time, Agatha Christie's "this book sets the standard for crime fiction. --McKenna
Do killers feel remorse for their crime? Should they? This is not some stuffy old classic that’s as dry as the pages it’s written on. Dostoevsky is the king of psychological thrillers and a master at understanding the human condition. Told in a stream of conscious thought, this book will grip you tight and not let you go. --McKenna
S.T. is a domesticated crow who enjoys hanging out with his owner Big Jim and munching on Cheetos, among other simple pleasures. When Big Jim's eyeball falls out of his head, S.T. starts to feel like something isn't quite right. Hopeful and hilarious, this book is not your usual apocalypse. --McKenna
The perfect book for a chilly night and the turning of seasons, this Gothic tale follows Melmoth, who is cursed to wander the world alone as humanity's eternal witness. --McKenna
Both humorous and heart-breaking, this book explores the intimate relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction. --McKenna
In the first book of the Kingkiller Chronicles, Rothfuss expertly weaves a complex, epic fantasy story that evokes the feeling of hearing ancient stories in front of a fire. This book is poetic and adventurous, magical and mysterious. --McKenna
A road trip...but with flippers, and to the bottom of the ocean. A perfect blend of pop science, personal narrative, and compelling reporting. --McKenna
Described as How to Train Your Dragon meets Top Gun and Enders Game, this book is an action-packed ride! --McKenna
A thrilling dystopian novel and a murder mystery in one, this book is a 21st century version of Orwell's 1984 that doesn't disappoint! --McKenna
A sharp, lovely synthesis of emotional memoir and critical theory, this book will crack you open like a walnut and leave you out to dry. Truly incredible. --McKenna