Biggest Queen Energy

Jenn Northington Jan 28, 2021

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Amanda and Jenn discuss romances WITH pining, some great picture books, uplifting and escapist reads, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

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Mythos, Heroes, or Troy by Stephen Fry (rec’d by Alice)

Questions

1. Hello! Two of my favorite books of all time are The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. The similarities I see — hopefully without spoiling too much — is that both books center on a young woman who has gone through a big traumatic event in the past, but you don’t know what it is at first and get clues as you go along. Also in both books, the main character meets a young man who eventually becomes a love interest, but he moves very slowly, is extremely respectful for her need for space, and does not “heal her trauma with his love”; instead, he provides her a safe haven of unconditional acceptance so she can reach the point on her own where she’s ready to seek outside support. What books can you recommend that follow a similar arc?

-Jessica

2. I am getting my BA in Elementary Ed with an endorsement in Early Childhood Education and we need to read books from the following categories: Native American Lit, Latinx Lit, Asian American Lit, African Lit, and “other” (so, books that focus on non-mainstream religions, family structures, etc.). I am new to the world of Early Childhood so I am hopelessly lost. Would appreciate and love your help.

-either Kate or Hana (sorry!)

3. Hello! I was the person from Orkney, Scotland, last year who asked for fiction recommendations around trees. This was because we don’t have any on our island as the Vikings chopped down all the trees way back when and due to COVID-19 I had been unable to travel south to visit any woodlands and so I was missing trees. Thank you very much for those recommendations. Well it’s 2021 and I still haven’t left the island to hug some trees but rather than dwell on what I don’t have I am embracing the wonderful coastal world I live in. So, I am looking for fiction recommendations that have a marine conservation theme. Due to some super-trawlers that came through the area we have sadly had some issues with strandings and deaths of marine animals, particularly orcas (Killer Whales) and seals (we call them selkies) and it is now a rare week where I do not come across one or the other. Any fiction recommendations with a theme of marine life or conservation would be much appreciated. Thank you, love the podcast xxx

Side note: Orkney is derived from the old norse name Orkneyjar which means Seal Islands ‘Orkn’ = Seals ‘eyjar’ = islands.

-Isobel

4. I am looking for more romantic heroes like Dawsey Adams from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The strong, silent type with still waters running very deep. Someone who falls hard but doesn’t know what to do about it. Something with lots of pining! I’d be interested in either genre romance or a significant romantic subplot in any other genre.

-Leslie

5. Hi, love the show! I am looking for a recommendation for a friend who is having a hard time. She is looking for books that will be very captivating and engaging, and although they don’t have to be constantly uplifting, hopeful would be vastly preferable to bleak. Recently she has enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, Olive Kitteridge and books by Hannah Kent – although those were far more brutal than she is looking for right now. I recommended Sorcerer to the Crown and she is loving it. Fantasy welcomed. Thank you so much!

-Laura

6. I work as a page at my local library, so I tend to judge a book by its cover when I’m shelving. I look at the cover first, then read the title, and then read the synopsis. If the cover doesn’t catch me, I usually don’t read the synopsis. Can you give me recommendations for books that you thought didn’t have appealing covers (or just didn’t catch your eye) but had a story that turned out to be super great? No romance, but all other genres (including nonfiction) welcome!

-Kari

7. With the world as crazy as it is now I’d love to find some really happy novels to dig into. It doesn’t matter the genre but I just need some escapism.

-Lauren