Cheese Whodunit

Jenn Northington Jun 6, 2019

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Amanda and Jenn discuss PNW stories, YA-friendly non-fiction, spare prose and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by All the Books and Cari Mora by Thomas Harris.

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Feedback

Priceless by Robert K. Whittman (rec’d by Megan)

Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm (rec’d by Sibyl)

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith (rec’d by Sibyl)

Questions

1. I am leaving for a two week trip to a small town in Italy on June 9th and I’m looking for a book (or series!) that will keep me hooked in a town with very little WiFi.

I tend towards non-fiction over fiction, but I have recently gotten into queer YA fiction and if I read adult fiction it is either historical fiction or crime/suspense. For reference, I have read and loved almost every Nelson DeMille and Dan Brown book. I am not a fan of more traditional literature (think Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice etc) and my eyes tend to glaze over if an author takes two pages to describe a chair. Otherwise, I am pretty open and trust your recommendation!

All the best,
-Renee

2. Hello!
I’m moving from Texas to Washington state in late August and would love recommendations for audiobooks to listen to during those 35 (!!!) hours of driving! I’d love something set in the Pacific Northwest, or on a cross country road trip. Fantasy (especially with folkloric elements) tends to be my favorite, but I also like mystery, horror, sci-fi, romance and post-apocalyptic. I’m a sucker for beautiful or descriptive prose, competent and clever protagonists, and weird magical people (or creatures). Bonus points for queer characters! Here is a link to my goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9756176-rachel

Thank you!

-Rachel

3. I would love to find reading recommendation on books that talk about nutrition for those not on a diet. I don’t need to diet but i would like to know more about what is best to be putting in my body. Do you have any recommendations on where to start? Thank you!! I have found so many great books to read through your podcast!
-Whitney

4. YA Non Fiction Needed!

Rioters! I am in a quandary… Summer is sliding in and so too is the opportunity for brain drain if I don’t stack up some books for our rising Sophomore who has found respite from studies in scrolling, Tik-Toking, picture editing and other time burglaring activities. She’s got walls of books, all read, some re-read and most of which are fiction. She likes realistic fiction, suspense thrill, social justice, psychological thrillers, a lil true crime, maybe some romance, and doesn’t prefer to linger in long prose. Books that have moved from her shelf to nightstand lately are: Mosquitoland, You by Caroline Kepnes, Dumplin, Neverworld Wake, Home by Toni Morrison, This Is Where It Ends, Eleanor and Park and others. She likes scary movies, is a great playlist maker (I follow all her Spotify lists—they’re awesome). Nothing rattles or grosses her out. She’s a wicked artist and her caricatures are requested on TikTok all the time. She plays tennis and loves to win . I am hoping you can throw all this in your mix master and pour out some great Non Fiction that can grab a Sophomore’s attention. For this I’m infinitely grateful. Thank you soooooo much!!

-Wynne

5. Hi,

I love the podcast and I’m hoping you can help me. I’m a teacher looking forward to my summer vacation in a few weeks and I would love plenty of book recommendations for over the summer.

I don’t really know a good way of defining what I liked to read other than I typically like relatively recent literary fiction, though I like plenty of lighter fare, too. I think I tend to like authors that write very plainly, as I seem to have little patience for overly wrought phrasing and writing that, to me, sounds too pretentious. I’m currently reading Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and I could barely put it down to write this e-mail. Some books and authors I’ve particularly enjoyed are Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Sourdough and Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, all of Jhumpa Lahiri’s books, and Less by Andrew Sean Greer. I also enjoy some mysteries, especially the Dublin Murder Squad Series by Tana French.

The problem is I am kind of a picky reader and there are plenty of books that I thought I would like that I end up quitting on after a hundred pages or so. Authors and books that haven’t clicked with me recently are The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead, What’s Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi, Purity by Jonathan Franzen, The Wangs Versus the World by Jade Chang, and The Wife by Meg Wolitzer .I also tend to not love long books (anything over 450 pages). 350 pages seems to be the perfect amount for my attention span.

What are your thoughts, based on what I’ve described about Ottessa Moshfegh’s books? I’ve read a few pages of both Eileen and My Year of Rest and Relaxation at bookstores and I was interested but I also wondered if I might end up hating them 5 chapters in.

Maybe you can help me with my pickiness! Thank you for any recommendations.

Best,

-Kellie

6. Hello ladies! I’m working my way through the Read Harder Challenge and trying to find romance novels for as many of the prompts as possible – which has been really fun! Currently, I am looking for an #ownvoices romance novel from Mexico/Central America. I prefer queer, historical/fantastic themes to modern day settings, but Read Harder is all about getting out of your comfort zone so I’m open to anything. Thanks for your help 🙂

-Michelle

7. Hello! I’m a new listener in my early thirties and have recently decided to go into the sex work industry after a long stretch of financial hardship. I’m a bit of an activist in the queer and disability communities, and looking for something empowering that involves themes of sex work. I have very severe dyslexia, so would prefer something that could be found in audiobook format. Thank you so much!

– Amanda

Books Discussed

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti

The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard

All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen

Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World, edited by Kelly Jensen

Beyoncé In Formation: Remixing Black Feminism by Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

Maud’s Line by Margaret Verble