Found Family That Kind of Wants to Kill Each Other

Jenn Northington Feb 11, 2021

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Amanda and Jenn discuss poetry audiobooks like Lana Del Rey’s, heartwarming reads, mythology and war, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

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Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (tw: for sexual assault and miscarriage) (rec’d by Margot)

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig (rec’d by Rose?)

Current Futures: A Sci-Fi Ocean Anthology, edited by Ann Vandermeer (rec’d by Stephanie)

Questions

1. Hey y’all!

Could I ask for two separate recommendations? One is for my job and one is for my personal reading. I would appreciate it.

My professional recommendation: I am a 7th and 8th grade history teacher and I’m looking for some middle grade historical fiction books for the classroom, preferably Texas history and US history since those are the subjects I teach.

My personal recommendation: I really, really enjoyed True Detective, especially season 1 with Matthew McConnaughey and Woody Harrelson. I would like to read dark crime/detective/mystery/thriller books similar to True Detective.

Thank you so much for your help, I really enjoy the podcast!

Respectfully,

-Mason

2. I would love some recs for my Dad. He is basically retired bc of Covid. He has worked from home since March 2019 and watched ALL the tv shows and I want him to have some mental stimulation. I can’t remember the last book he read but I can tell you he loves sports, westerns, detective stuff and small town America. He would HATE anything with fantasy, sci-fi or true crime.

-Donya

3. I just finished Ask Again, Yes. And I absolutely loved it! I’m wanting to find another novel similar to it. I think I loved how the characters were so fully drawn and rich. The author did such a great job exploring all the characters personal backgrounds that way you fully understood who they were in all their complexities. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two families and the special, almost idyllic, childhood friendship between Peter and Kate. I also loved watching how the people changed over time. Books that I’ve enjoyed before that felt similar to this one are Little Fires Everywhere and Commonwealth. Thanks!

-Emily

4. I’m finishing up with all the fall mysteries and spooky reads, and would love a recommendation for something heartwarming to read around the winter holidays/darkest week of the year. I typically like to read something lighthearted or at least with a happy ending, about characters with some emotional complexity and strong chosen-family relationships. LGBTQIA characters are pretty important to me, but the chosen family storyline is most important. Last year I read The Snow Child and loved it, but I could also go for something like House in the Cerulean Sea. Holiday or wintery themes are welcome but not necessary. I love fantasy, literary fiction, and memoirs (but am not into reading short stories or books that really center romance).

Thanks so much,

-Angela

5. I’ve been listening to your podcast for years and now need help.

I finished reading The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune recently and completely fell in love with it. I loved the story, I loved the adult characters and I loved the children characters. I loved their relationships with each other and I loved the growth throughout the book of Linus. This is just such a sweet cozy read and I would love to find something similar.

Any suggestions you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

-Ashley

6. I have desperately been trying to find a book like Lovely War by Julie Berry. I read it back in June and haven’t found a book that even compares since.

My favourite things about this book were the mythology, the romance, the time period (1920s), the way the gods interacted with the humans, the portrayal of death, the settings (England and France with a little bit of Belgium and America), etc.

It would be SO SO amazing if you could find any books like it! Thank you.

PS: LOVE your show and have so many new amazing books because of it.

-Niamh

7. So I’m looking for poetry audiobook recommendations. I recently bought Lana Del Rey’s Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass on audio and found it to be extremely therapeutic. I’m in law school now and don’t have the time to read anything except case books. I also found I have about zero capacity for concentration left outside of my class material and find my mind wandering during even my most favorite podcasts (Get Booked) which I listen to for the therapeutic aspect. But I found that Violet is something I can listen to over and over again and I feel soothed. I like that it’s ethereal and nostalgic. I like themes of love and love for your city and the personification of a city. I like the dreaminess of it too. I do like spoken word but I’d prefer things that aren’t particularly heart wrenching or political. I’m looking more for an escape than an awakening. Hope I haven’t made this impossible! Thanks 🙂

-Maríacarla