Staff Picks: Nadia Blocker’s Favorites
I’m Nadia (they/them), a marketing assistant for Vintage, an imprint focused on backlist literary fiction. I’ve been a reader and self-proclaimed nerd all my life, in many ways, books were my first love. I am particularly drawn to fantasy worlds, queer representation, and Black narratives across all media — bonus points if all three! I’m British American, multiracial, non-binary, and a Gemini; I find myself reflected most in the in-between worlds and the margins. I live in the NY woods and am always seeking a balance between my adventurous spirit and my love for being cozy. When I’m not working or reading, I write, create content, crochet, and sing my little heart out. You can find me on Youtube and Instagram.
-
1
Add to BookshelfFrankenstein
by Mary Shelley
In my humble opinion, this may be one of the best books ever written. I read it for the first time as part of the English curriculum in school at around 15 years old and remember being struck by how genuinely good it was. I was consumed wholly by the tale, contorted into the twisted psyche of our troubled, tragic hero Victor, and found despairing for his monster — so heinously misunderstood and misrepresented — both in narrative and popular culture.
Upon revisiting this over a decade later in a phase of my life where the gothic and macabre delights me, I can’t help but reflect on how much this book shaped me, how I’ve never stopped chasing the feverish high of a damn good book, and how this is the blueprint for almost all that I adore about reading.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$12.00Buy from Other Retailers:
-
2
Add to Bookshelf
Sula
by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is my literary spirit guide, and my love for her writing and a few serendipitous alignments brought me to my current role, where I have the honor of representing her legacy. The sheer intensity of her word-weaving and her harrowing narratives live on in my psyche ad infinitum. Nobody paints such a disturbingly real portrait of the Black American experience as Morrison. Her worlds are truthful and deeply human, she is timeless.
I certainly wouldn’t call it light, but there’s something redemptive and pure about Sula; the story of girlhood, friendship, the enduring legacies of trauma and betrayal, and how to carry on, despite it all. I don’t believe in required reading, but if I did, this would absolutely make the list.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$17.00Buy from Other Retailers:
-
3
Add to Bookshelf
Chain Gang All Stars
by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
This one brings us firmly into the 21st century, and perhaps a little too into the 21st century at that … Chain Gang All-Stars is the sapphic prison gladiator, abolitionist speculative fiction of my dreams. Try saying that 10 times fast! It is absolutely brutal and lets up only for devastating glimpses of tenderness and love to shine through. Despite the unrelenting horrors, this book is a balanced, sobering read and a searing criticism of the prison industrial complex, mass incarceration, late-stage capitalism, and systemic racism. Whew.
It made me wince, laugh out loud, and sob into my pillow. When I think about it, all of the best things do all three … I think I have a type.
Add to BookshelfPaperback
$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
