Leah Rachel von Essen

Leah Rachel von Essen is a freelance editor and book reviewer who lives on the South Side of Chicago with her cat, Ms Nellie Bly. A senior contributor at Book Riot, and a reviewer for Booklist and Chicago Review of Books, Leah focuses her writings on books in translation, fantasy, genre-bending fiction, chronic illness, and fatphobia, among other topics. Her blog, While Reading and Walking, was founded in 2015, and boasts more than 15,000 dedicated followers across platforms. Learn more about Leah at leahrachelvonessen.com or visit her blog at whilereadingandwalking.com.

31 Articles Published | Follow:
Caught in the Net of Lauren Groff’s “Brawler”
Displacement and Longing in “Every Exit Brings You Home”
Reindeer, Spirits, and Survival: Translating “The Last Quarter of the Moon” by Chi Zijian
Traitorous Magic in Garro’s “The Week of Colors”
Falsity and Facade in “The Aquatics”
Disaster Creeps Up on Us in Eva Meijer’s “Sea Now”
The Master of Dread: Schweblin’s “Good and Evil and Other Stories”
Past and Present Collide in “The City Changes Its Face”
An Unmoored Tale of Depression in Kyung-Ran Jo’s “Blowfish”
Caught Between: Amerie’s “This Is Not a Ghost Story”