Festering Demonic Influences

Jenn Northington Jan 18, 2018

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Amanda and Jenn discuss book club picks, retellings, books about books, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by OwlCrate and Book Riot Insiders.

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The show can also be found on Stitcher here.

Questions

1. Hi Amanda and Jen!
I am looking for book recommendations about espionage, secret agencies/organizations and heists, but prefer ones that are lighter and not too dark. Because of this I tend to read more YA books (Map of Fates by Maggie Hall, for instance), but would love to read more adult fiction.
I also like Sherlock Holmes adaptations such as the Jackaby series by William Ritter, Stoker & Holmes series by Colleen Gleason and A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro.
Thanks for your help!!
–Tracy

2. Hey Girls,
I am a high school English teacher, and my classes do a lot of independent reading. Each month, students choose a book in a specific category. We are coming up on the “based on…another story” category and I need some recommendations for my students. I have recommended Gregory Maguire’s Wicked as a based on Wizard of Oz, Marissa Meyer’s Cinder as a based on Cinderella, and Laura Ruby’s Bone Gap as a based on Persephone. But I need a bunch more. Books that would appeal to my boys would be especially helpful.
Thanks so much,
–Diane

3. Hello, love your podcast and thanks for doing it. I am an avid reader and usually have 3 books on the go: a more ‘meaty’ / literary read, a quick / light read, plus a non fiction (most often a biography).

This is my question. I have recently taken the plunge and set up a book club locally, and our first meeting is set at the end of this month. I would love some recommendations for books that in your opinion will lead to a good interesting discussion. Just so you can get an idea, the first books that I’ve already set for the book club are: Sarah Schmidt’s See what I have done, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan. These are books that I would normally be reading myself. Any suggestions for possible books for the following months?
–Maria

4. Hello, I am part of a Scifi and fantasy book club and for February I am suggesting that we read a book (scifi or fantasy) that has a LGBTQ Romance. It doesn’t have to be the protagonist or antagonist but I would prefer that. We have already read River of Teeth which has several LGBTQ characters in it. Any suggestions would be of great help! love the show!
–Jean

5. I love books so much I’m on a hunt for a book about books! Fiction / YA is my jam but I’m open to any genre that keeps me turning the page. I would love a book where the main character finds a magical library or bookstore and/or has an awesome relationship with books. I’ve read the Book Thief but haven’t been able to find anything else where books play a main role. Looking forward to your recommendations!
Thanks,
–Jessica

6. Hello,
Hi Jenn and Amanda –

I have a family & friends book club. We recently read Persepolis which was so, so good! The meeting was extra cool because my 8 year old cousin read it and participated in the conversation. It was fun having a budding young reader in our midst, which got me thinking that we should read some middle grade novels so she can join in more often. I enjoy YA so I am totally open to reading middle grade, but I also think others in the group would enjoy it too. Do you have any recommendations for middle grade that would be good book club picks?

Thanks for the show and ALL the recommendations!
–Alex

7. I just read “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng as a book riot rec… OMG! Love! Can you please recommend more books that have a slight suspense angle but mainly focus on really rich characters that seem authentic?
–Lexie

Books Discussed

Gnomon by Nick Harkaway

The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú

For reader looking for books for 7 year old boy: The Lunch Lady series and the Dog Man series. (Sarah from Insiders)

For reader looking for books from other countries NOT about war/racism: Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata, about a man who meets his late father’s mistress and gets sort of obsessed, but more in a flies-in-the-face-of-Japanese-manners-way, not a creepy-stalker-will-kill-you way (Melissa from Insiders)

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Lawless by Jeff Salane

All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry (Orpheus)

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (1001 Nights)

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

100 Must Read Books About Books post

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder