June 2022: Kaley

Kaley is QRB’s resident wood-elf. In the four years since her previous Take Ten, she has (tragically) not moved into a hobbit hole, but her black cat has been promoted to a fully-fledged familiar. When she isn’t lurking in the back room, she stocks the metaphysical section and moderates the Triangle Tolkienists Book Club.

The depth and breadth of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (William Morrow) cannot be overstated. But don’t be intimidated! Take your time with this book and you’ll be rewarded with unforgettable characters, rich settings, beautiful prose, and epic battles between ultimate evil and those striving for the light.

No matter how many times I return to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Chiltern Publishing), something new always stands out: a delightful quip or a reference I didn’t catch before. This is the ultimate comfort read, and it never fails to cheer me up.

J. S. Dewes’ Divide series strikes the perfect balance between character-driven and plot-driven storytelling. Whether you’re looking for some science-y sci-fi, compelling and well-rounded characters, or just a few space battles, The Last Watch (Tor Books) is an excellent choice—and the sequel is just as good!

You know when you read a book and it just clicks—like the author is articulating something you’ve felt but haven’t yet found the words to express? The Path of Paganism by John Beckett (Llewellyn Publications) is a great guide to earth-centered spiritualities, whether you are a practitioner yourself or whether you’re just curious.

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (St. Martin’s Griffin) is the book that got me into romance. The book is a sweet love story, but also a story about identity, family, politics, grief, and fighting for what you believe in. It’s the sort of thing I finish reading and immediately want to start over again.

My favorite part of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Bloomsbury) is without a doubt the worldbuilding, with all the different nations and the different sorts of people who inhabit them. There’s even a glossary! With dragons, political intrigue, and an ensemble cast of diverse characters, what’s not to like?

In The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature (Scribner), Sue Stuart-Smith offers insight into how engaging with plants and the natural world can impact our mental and physical well-being. I first listened to this as an audiobook from Libro.fm; I enjoyed it so much that I bought a physical copy to reference.

With friends like these, who needs enemies? Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon (Random House) was a fascinating portrait of both Wollstonecraft and Shelley, two authors I mistakenly believed I already understood. They led intense, complicated, and, frankly, messy lives, surrounded by people who seemed determined to make everything more difficult.

I love a good queer gaslamp fantasy, especially when it includes a creative and unusual magic system! A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (Tordotcom) places a huge importance on a love of books and learning, and much of it revolves around our connection to the land—concepts that couldn’t be more up my alley.

In Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times (Riverhead $24), Katherine May encourages us to see life as cyclical, not linear, and to relate to our own low periods in a gentler way. May’s writing is gorgeous, and some of her anecdotes—from hibernating dormice to friendly robins—have stuck with me.