Here Are Our Nun Tangents

Jenn Northington Jul 16, 2020

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Amanda and Jenn discuss coming-of-age literary fiction, M/M sci-fi, novellas, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community, Flatiron Books, publisher of Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby, and Ecco.

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Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen (rec’d by Laura)

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (rec’d by Elizabeth)

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (rec’d by Maria)

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc

Questions

1. I need a book for my book club, preferably fiction. We made the terrible decision of reading both of Sally Rooney’s novels back-to-back and now nothing seems nearly as good as her complex characters and the painfully relatable interactions between them. We are all in our early/mid twenties and enjoy reading books that relate to the painful growing pains of figuring out adulthood and who we are as adults. We love Sally Rooney’s engrossing dialogue, straightforward writing style and her well developed coming-of-age intellectuals. In the past we’ve enjoyed books by Celeste Ng, Anne Patchett and Lydia Davis. Excited to hear your thoughts!

-Emily

2. Best underrated Tor novellas? Thanks!
-Shontelle

3. Looking for fiction/nonfiction about non-cis/non-trans people/characters. I’m interested in people or characters who don’t feel they fit in the gender binary.

-Shaina

4. Hi! First off, I just want to say that I love your podcast. I’ve been listening since the first episode, and it’s been one of my favorite podcasts ever since. I’ve never sent in a recommendation request before, but I figured during quarantine, when I have all the time in the world basically, now would be a good time.

I’m in a strange place in that I consider myself a sci-fi fan because I watch a lot of sci-fi, but I realized recently I haven’t actually read much of it. I’ve read some classic sci-fi, like Dune (which I love), and Foundation (which I didn’t really like), but not much else aside from a lot of Star War novelizations, and Star Trek fanfiction. A few sci-fi books on my radar are Ninefox Gambit, Ancillary Justice, A Memory Called Empire, and The Traitor Baru Cormorant. I think I’m more interested in space opera, or at least sci-fi that isn’t too scientific or mathy, but I’m not really sure. I also would like it if you could recommend to me some gay m/m sci-fi. I’ve found a lot of queer women sci-fi which is awesome, but haven’t been able to find any sci-fi dealing with queer men, which I find a little strange. The only one I have found was Bond of Brass which I picked up because people were saying it was basically finnpoe fanfiction, but I’m not sure why they are saying that since it’s so different in concept as well as the characters. I also found the love interest insufferable, and I’m not sure how much I actually enjoyed the moral question of whether or not the main character should literally fight for the colonists who destroyed his world. I think it could have been an interesting premise, but I didn’t like how it was handled, and the bad love interest on top of it just made it worse for me. I ended up not being able to finish it.
Please no comics or graphic novels please. I’m not sure about YA recs unless you know of a YA that is particularly good, and more on the mature side of things. I don’t usually get on well with YA except for a few exceptions.
Thank you again for your amazing podcast!

-Anonymous

5. Hi!
I’m looking for a good LGBT read but not a coming out story. I’ve been through the years of figuring out who I am and coming out to people. While that is an important part of my past, it’s not part of my every day. I’m happily married and my wife is pregnant with our first baby. I’m looking for a read where the main character just is gay. I read starless sea and loved it. Any type of fiction is fine except short story or graphic novel.
Thanks!

-Jessica

6. I love podcasts and recently listened to Noble Blood about Queen Ranavalona I. And I was fascinated. I love historical regency fiction. Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Diana Gabaldon… But I could not find anything on this queen from Madagascar. I would love the help to find something if not on her exactly on any lesser known queens from elsewhere; Elizabeth Bathory, Empress Wu Zetian… I’m up for it all.

-Ryeannuh

7. My wife and I have an awesome 8yo daughter. We have a number of picture books that reflect her Two Mom family, but she’s getting older and I would love to find some chapter books that for elementary age kids that feature a character with two moms. Do you have any you can recommend?

-Carrie