Leah Rachel von Essen
Leah Rachel von Essen is a writer and editor who gets most of her reading done while walking. She works full-time as a magazine assistant editor, while also reviewing for Booklist, writing for Book Riot and other publications, writing her blog, and working on writing and querying her novels. She uses her spare time to watch women's soccer, travel, and sometimes even sleep. Originally from New Jersey, she came to the South Side of Chicago to study magical realism, surrealism, fairy tales, religious studies, and the forms of the novel at the University of Chicago. She, her cat Ms. Nellie Bly, and her two large bookshelves live reading-and-walking distance from Lake Michigan. Leah writes about the books she's reading at While Reading and Walking. Twitter: @reading_while
What We Learned About Good Omens at SXSW 2019
March 15, 2019The Good Omens experience at SXSW 2019 in Austin was a dream. I attended a party where there were sword ...
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Hints at an Epic Prequel
March 7, 2019This is no re-adaptation. No, it's going bigger—as many suspected and hoped, it's going epic, and it's going prequel.
Endorsing Sansa Stark for the Iron Throne
March 4, 2019Inspired by history lessons and her character growth in GAME OF THRONES, I am officially endorsing Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell, for the Iron Throne.
Read Your Way Through Mexico City
February 16, 2019Late in January, I visited Mexico City. I escaped the frigid temperatures of the Midwest and dove into the world ...
A Book Lover’s Guide to Mexico City
February 10, 2019Mexico City was a book lover’s dream, full of open-air bookstores, magical libraries, and fantastic places to read. I visited ...
Reading Pathways: Where to Begin with Nnedi Okorafor
January 11, 2019Nnedi Okorafor is an author on many of our best-lists—including our list of the best science fiction authors. She is a ...
A Love Letter To Books That Tell You How They End
January 9, 2019Why books that begin by giving away the ending deserve their due, and why they give us a glimpse into what actually matters about storytelling.
How Novels Full Of IMs And Email Gave Young Girls A Voice
January 8, 2019The dislike of YA made up of texts, emails, and instant messaging was rooted in a classic backlash against anything that young women find their voices in.
The Best Comics We Read In November 2018
December 3, 2018Rioters share the best comics they read in November because who doesn't want more comics to read?!
Did William Goldman or S. Morgenstern write THE PRINCESS BRIDE?
November 20, 2018"I think it says a lot about Goldman, and the man and writer he was, that he never let the magic die, never let it fall."
20 Gifts for Neil Gaiman Fans in Your Life
November 10, 2018In honor of Neil Gaiman's birthday, here are 20 gift ideas, from pins to wood-cuts to candles to shoes, for the Gaiman fans in your life.
Author of THE NIGHT CIRCUS Coming Out with New Book in 2019
November 8, 2018Seven years after the publication of her hit THE NIGHT CIRCUS, Erin Morgenstern's fantasy THE STARLESS SEA will be released in late 2019.
50 Must-Reads of Slavic Literature
October 30, 2018From Belarus to Bosnia to Bulgaria to Croatia and more, there's a wealth of Slavic literature out there. And here are some must-reads to check out.
Brooklyn Bookstore Plans an Event to Hex Brett Kavanaugh
October 17, 2018Catland Books, a independent bookstore in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, is planning to hold an event next Saturday to hex Brett Kavanaugh.
How DC Bombshells Makes Me Feel Comfortable in My Queer Skin
October 11, 2018How Wonder Woman's bisexuality helped one Rioter to feel like she was allowed to celebrate her own pansexuality and pride.