At NoveList, every recommendation begins with a love of stories. Our team, made up of librarians, authors, and devoted readers, takes the time to handpick books that feel just right. We know that reading is personal, and that’s why we focus on what makes a story truly connect.
This is the second installment of our new series where we’re introducing you to the people behind the recommendations and asking them to share a book to recommend. Here's the first post, in case you missed it!
Kendal Spires joined NoveList in 2018 as a Collection Development Analyst. She is a lifelong lover of sci-fi, fantasy, and comics of all stripes. You may have met her in October, when she was a panelist for the Crash Course in Graphic Novels.
Describe the work you do for NoveList.
I manage collection development workflows for the Core Collections and NoveList databases, in addition to graphic novel selection and some Curated Lists work on the side. I also catalog pretty much every age and genre!
What is the title and author of the book you recommend?
Sabriel by Garth Nix
What is this book about?
Your titular heroine is the latest in a hereditary line of “good” necromancers who work to ensure that dead things stay dead. She's forced to step into the role early when her father goes missing. She’s tasked with stopping the rise of a malevolent Free Magic being. Also, her main ally is a talking cat named Mogget who’s possibly neither a cat nor an ally.
Why do you love this book?
I picked this up as a fantasy-obsessed middle-schooler and I’d never read anything with such immaculate vibes — it’s incredibly atmospheric, the various undead and Free Magic beings are suitably threatening, the magic systems are cool and well-considered (necromancy is handbell-based!). Also, the original American cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon is a stone-cold classic and represents the feel of the story so well.
What kind of reader would enjoy this book?
Fans of dark and moody but not grimdark fantasy, nonstandard zombie stories, extremely competent teenage girls, and chaotic neutral cats, as well as readers of Tamora Pierce and Katherine Addison.
If you could invite one character from this book to dinner, where would you take them and why?
I would be taking Mogget to one of those all-you-can-eat conveyor belt sushi establishments and watching him demolish thirty plates of fish.
Describe the perfect setting for reading this book.
A cozy chair in a dim, well-stocked library, while a dark and omnipresent night threatens from outside the windows.
Do you have any other messages for readers?
The audiobook is narrated by Tim Curry (yes, Dr. Frank-N-Furter himself) and it’s AMAZING.
Angela Hursh is Manager of Library Marketing Content and Services for NoveList. She is reading Life & Death & Giants by Ron Rindo.
Kendal Spires is a Collection Development Librarian for NoveList. She is reading The Everlasting by Alix Harrow.