Katie Russell
Katie has been a digital editor at Penguin for over three years and specialises in romance fiction and the intersection between pop culture and contemporary novels. She has created Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo-themed book listicles, beginner-friendly genre guides, ‘best book’ roundups, quizzes, and author interviews that help readers find their next book obsession.
Before joining Penguin, Katie was a lifestyle journalist at The Telegraph, where she interviewed experts and wrote longform features for the website and newspaper, as well as evergreen product guides and opinion pieces. She then became the Deputy Editor of Newsweek’s My Turn section, where she commissioned, edited and wrote first-person essays for the magazine’s website. She holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London and a BA in English Literature from The University of Exeter, and her purse holds four library cards.
A self-professed sucker for a good romance book, Katie is often urging her colleagues to read her favourite books by Emily Henry and Jenny Han – and she was interviewed on The Penguin Podcast for her expertise on romance fiction. However, she is also a big fan of Young Adult novels when she needs an escape and thought-provoking memoirs and essays when she’s feeling existential.
The book you recommend to everyone: The Crane Wife by C J Hauser. This book of essays changed the way I view relationships, selfhood, and the many forms of love. I think about it a lot and the title essay is my Roman Empire.
Your favourite trope: Fake dating, especially when the stakes are high (an ex’s wedding, a reputation crisis, etc).
Your least favourite trope: Grumpy-sunshine romance. I just don’t find the bad manners, rude-to-everyone-but-you thing attractive, sorry!
Your top tip to read more: Read for just 10 minutes before bed. It feels doable, you go to bed feeling smug, and it’s so much better for your sleep cycle than scrolling through Instagram Reels (I’ve learned this the hard way).
Where we’re most likely to find you reading: In bed. Or, if it’s sunny and I’ve taken antihistamines, down my local park in south London.