National Intern Day: Introducing Gwendy!

Hi there, my name is Gwendy! This feels like a surreal full-circle moment. I grew up in Indonesia and vividly remember my best friend lending me her copies of the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series when I was 13 or 14. I loved it. Today, I live halfway across the world and am a marketing & publicity intern at Quirk, the book’s first home. Most of my friends would describe me as spontaneous, random, and funny (my mom thinks I’m the funniest person ever, but that’s because she has to). I might be the most extroverted and talkative INFP person you’d ever meet––my roommate still refuses to believe I am truly an introvert.

What book(s) are you currently reading?

Thanks to the new Netflix film that came out recently, I’m currently re-reading Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I just recently started reading Good Sh*t. It’s so colorful and fun, and I am learning a LOT from it.

What are some of your all-time favorite books?

One of the hardest questions to answer, because there are so many! And when you’re put on the spot, your mind blanks and you forget every single book you’ve read. Here are some titles I will never stop recommending, in no particular order:

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt

My English professor always has us cracking up in class, but the book he wrote had me bawling at 2 a.m. on my bathroom floor. Our narrator is a 12-year-old boy, and even those who read it through adult eyes will realize they have so much to learn from said boy. This book was so controversial when it first came out as it revolves around a 13-year-old father.

Circe by Madeline Miller

I have always been a big fan of Greek mythology (thanks to Rick Riordan) and I loved this feminist and empowering take on Circe. She’s complex and nuanced, and though she is a sorceress and the daughter of a god, she’s so, so human. Miller’s writing completely captivated me and I couldn’t put this book down.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

This was one of those books that changed my life. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks after I put it down. Backman discusses a lot of really heavy stuff in such a gentle and conversational manner, giving us space to sit with it and process it the way we need to. It feels like a therapy session wrapped in a funny story about a failed robbery attempt and sprinkled with some interesting characters.

Tell us about your favorite fandom!

My inner teenager is raging. I was––still am––the biggest Directioner! I always tell people that one of my talents is the ability to identify, name, and sing every single One Direction song within 2 seconds of listening to the intro. That’s over 100 songs. Everytime someone tries to quiz me to catch me failing, they walk away shaking their heads, muttering something along the lines of “crazy” and “obsessed”.

What is your favorite thing about interning at Quirk Books?

I love that there are so many different things to do! One day, I fall down a rabbit hole of all things cryptid and ghosts while I do some research for our titles, and the next, I’m researching bookstore cats. Speaking of cats, sometimes I’m lucky and Jen’s cats (she’s my super awesome supervisor) pop in to say hi during our virtual meetings.