Book Riot Live with Jade Chang

Jenn Northington Nov 17, 2016

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This episode was recorded at Book Riot Live! Amanda, Jenn, and guest author Jade Chang talk dance novels, weird short stories, and more.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Madison Reed and Swoon Reads.

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The show can also be found on Stitcher here.

Questions

1. Hi Amanda and Jenn!
My name is Emily and I’m a recent college grad. My former classmates and I have started a book club for those of us that are still in the area. It’s called Two Sides of the Same Earth…and we have been diving into books from all different cultures and races.
So far, we have tackled I Am Malala (Pakistan), Things Fall Apart (Nigeria), and The Motorcycle Diaries (South America). They have been a mix of biographies, journals, and novels, and each has been amazing in its own way.
Do you have any recommendations for books that are of this same idea? We are open to fiction and nonfiction, we just want to be challenged to see the world from a different perspective. We’ve been looking at different parts of the world, so something Asian, European, Australian would be good, in addition to any other kind of book that would challenge us and spark great discussion.
So excited to hear your recommendations, we are looking for books in November or December.
— Emily

2. Hi, lovely book-casters!

I love the podcast, first and foremost. I was hoping you can help me find some books that were similar to a favorite Author of mine. This is going to be a hard request (I think), but if anyone can find similar books… I trust you can.

I fell in love with Amelie Nothomb while browsing the library shelves a few years ago. She writes very short novellas and not all of them have been translated into English (sadly). I’ve pretty much went through her entire collection and I need more! Her writing style is sparse but she makes every written word worth it. She also has a knack for writing about nothing but making you care VERY much about it. So… any chance you could find me some similar novellas to sink my teeth into?

3. Hi ladies!

I’m on a quest to find a great summer read! Center Stage is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I’m always looking for soapy, enjoyable reads about women who are happy to destroy their bodies and their rivals to make it to the top. Cheerleaders and gymnasts totally count too. I loved Dare Me. Any recommendations are much appreciated!

Thanks!
–Anne

4. Hi Get Booked! I read “Monica Never Shuts Up” by A.S. King nearly a year ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. Please give me all the short stories that are as weird, creative, and absorbing as “Monica Never Shuts Up”. THANK YOU!!!!
— Ammie

5. I’m looking for a book in the same beat as The Devil Wears Prada. That’s my post-grad life right now and I need to cope with it through reading about other people, fictional or not, struggling with the Assistant life. I need hope and perspective. I would be fascinated by a nonfiction, but I love fiction. I want to see a person struggle with the self respect and personal limits of having a demanding boss but come out in an admirable light. Especially if it features though choices.

Thank you for your time and thoughts.
— Mary

6. The holidays are a difficult time for many, specifically difficult for me because of the flawed relationship I have with my mother. Now that my obligatory family time has passed, I would love to explore this theme a bit more in literature. Do you have any recommendations for books that explore difficult mother/daughter relationships? I am hoping that reading about this complicated relationship can provide a bit of validation of my experiences.

Thanks so much! Love the show 🙂 keep the recommendations coming!
–Britt

Books Discussed

Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap and Mari Araki

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

The Man With Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offil

Sophie Calle

Contents May Have Shifted by Pam Houston

The Longshot by Katie Kitamura

Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck

Veronica by Mary Gaitskill

Swing Time by Zadie Smith