Sharks With Lasers!

Jenn Northington Jan 11, 2018

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Amanda and Jenn discuss mysteries, all-ages comics, YA fantasy, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet.

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The show can also be found on Stitcher here.

Enter our Top 20 of 2017 giveaway here! bookriot.com/bookriottop20

Questions

1. Hey Amanda and Jenn!
I’m looking for a good book for my boyfriend. He’s never really enjoyed reading but is trying to change that, particularly because his sister and I just gush over books every time we’re around each other and I think he wants in on the fun.
He’s mentioned that he might be interested in something like Stephen King, but the size of the books are too intimidating.
I think he would particularly enjoy mysteries or thrillers, but any genre is welcome. The most important thing is that the books are not too long and they are easy to get through — so no complicated structures or long lists of characters.
Thanks for all you do,
–Morgan

2. Hey Get Booked,
After reading Bad Feminist for my book club and LOVING it, I’ve been craving more feministy reading. I’ve read We Should All Be Feminists and Men Explain Things to Me. I’m currently listening to Missoula by Jon Krakauer and it’s completely fascinating. Could you recommend a few of your favorite feminist books? Even novels with strong feminist themes or characters would be good. Thanks!!
–Anna

3. Hello!
I’m looking for a graphic novel/ comic recommendation. I love the format, but find that I’m quite picky. Based on what I’ve read and liked, it seems that I prefer comics geared towards a younger audience. I’m not opposed to more adult/ mature content, but I’m not super into gratuitous violence/ nudity, etc. I LOVED Nimona, Lumberjanes, Lucky Penny, Henchgirl, all of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work, and Paper Girls, so if there’s anything that you can recommend similar to those, I’d love to hear about it!
Thanks so much!
–Ashley

4. Hello! I recently just discovered your podcast and I can’t get enough of it! I have a 7 year old son who is in second grade and loves to read. He reads above his grade level and I am looking for book recommendations for him but also that are appropriate for his age. He is very much interested in Legos and Minecraft. I’m wondering if there are any good, but appropriate children’s mysteries out there for him. He has recently discovered the Goosebumps series in his Grandpa’s basement from when my husband was a kid and has started on those. Thank you for your help!
–Christina

5. Hi,
I’m constantly trying to expand my genre tastes, and I think it’s time to try some romance. There’s just one problem: I’m polyamourous and I don’t know where to look for poly romance really. I have very low tolerance for competition between potential partners as a plot forwarding device and have trouble empathizing with characters in monogamous relationships angsting about cheating and wandering potential. I’ve read Ascension and liked the concept but found the writing quality wanting. I’m open to any sub genre of romance, as long as at least some of the primary characters are polyamourous.
–Amanda

6. Hello,
I am an avid reader but tend to stick to mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and classics. I love classic mystery/detective books like Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, G.K Chesterton’s Father Brown and Dorothy Sayers but I am struggling to find contemporary mystery/detective fiction that aren’t cookie cutter stories. I’m don’t like a lot of gore or sex and I really enjoy the process of discovering who committed the crime. Any books/series recommendations along these lines would be great!
–Heather

7. I’ve been doing a lot of very heavy, very dry reading for my degree, and I need some fun books to read in the meantime. Since everything I’ve been reading lately has been nonfiction, I thought I would get as far away from that as possible and read some fantasy. But because I’m so busy with school I don’t have as much time to read as I wish I did, so I’m hesitant to start a series. I thought some YA could do the trick since the reading is always a bit easier, and I feel like everyday I hear about a new YA fantasy novel that is coming out. I recently read Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and thought it was spectacular, and I also read The Magicians and thought it was great. My favorite author is Neal Stephenson, but I don’t have the ability to read such complicated and heavy subject matter at the moment.
–Max

Books Discussed

Squire by Tamora Pierce (Protector of the Small series)

Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter (trigger warning: sexual assault)

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley

We’re Going To Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union (trigger warning: discussion of her rape)

Misfit City Vol 1 by Kirsten Smith, art by Kurt Lustgarten, Naomi Franquiz

Jem and the Holograms V1 by Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell

The Key Hunters series by Eric Luper (#1 The Mysterious Moonstone)

The Brixton Brothers series (The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity), recommended by Preeti

Glutton for Pleasure by Alisha Rai