Shirley Jackson
I was lucky to discover her short story The Lottery in high school, and basically I have devoured everything she had ever written since then. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is such a great element of the American Gothic genre.
Daphne du Maurier – Frenchman’s Creek
I managed to read this book when waiting in line to enter a grocery store during the pandemic, and was enchanted by every page. It has become one of my absolute favourites.
Janet Fitch – White Oleander
I can still remember reading the first few chapters in the lobby of a Tim Horton’s at nearly midnight during high school. It’s been years since, but I’ve always kept it with me.
Sarah J. Maas
My roommate really liked her books so when her newest release hit bookstores, I snatched a copy up. After that book I basically went out and purchased her other two series because I was obsessed with her storytelling.
Toni Morrison – Beloved
I’m nagging everyone in my life to read this particular book. It leaves a feeling in your chest after you’ve finished it, and the best description I could ever think to describe it would be: cobwebs of poetry.
Rachel Small (she/her) writes in Ottawa. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in magazines, including Thorn Literary Magazine, blood orange, The Hellebore, The Shore, and other places. She was the recipient of honourable mention for the John Newlove Poetry Award for her poem “garbage moon and feminist day”. You can find her on twitter @rahel_taller.