Holiday Cheer Slash Demonic Forces

Jenn Northington Nov 10, 2016

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Amanda and Jenn discuss family novels, wintry sci-fi/fantasy, dad books and more on this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Madison Reed and Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee.

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The show can also be found on Stitcher here.

Questions

1. Hello! I have two requests. The first is relatively time sensitive (preferably by the end of November) and the second one isn’t time sensitive at all.

I’d like to first say how much I love this podcast. Most of my reading this year has been from recommendations from the show and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Now on to the requests:

1 – I’m a Psychologist studying to be a Family Therapist. In order to get this degree, I need to write a thesis and I am inclined to write about families relationships in fiction. So I wanted a recommendation of books with families. I have already read Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng (by getbooked recommendation and absolutely loved it) and The Nest is on my radar. Since I am Brazilian, if the books were available in ebook form that would be of great help. since buying hard copies from other countries may take up to 4 months to arrive.

2 – I’m obsessed about the country Japan and would like recommendations of both fiction and nonfiction about living in Japan in current times. The author doesn’t have to be Japanese. (And I already own almost everything by Murakami.)

Thank you very much!

–Luiza

2. Time sensitive! Hi Amanda and Jenn 🙂 I need help figuring out what book to get for my dad for Christmas. His English isn’t very good, so I need something that’s not dumbed down but easy to understand so he doesn’t have to sit with the dictionary beside him. I’m pretty sure he prefers non-fiction, but I need something that isn’t boring. Maybe something to do with crime, or something inspirational. As you can tell, I’m desperately need in your magic recs. Please help! Thank you 🙂 x

–Papa’s Girl

3. Hi

I hope you can help me with a Christmas present for my husband – so I would appreciate an answer in November so that I have time to order and get the books shipped here before Christmas.

My husband is not an avid reader, but when he can find the time (like when on vacation) he likes to read.
He has a very broad taste and has read the Millennium Trilogy, all the books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series but he always goes back to Paul Auster and has read most of his books.
Last Christmas I gave him Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Murakami and The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell and he enjoyed those as well (even if they weren’t as good as Paul Auster).
He did not enjoy Dead Simple by Peter James – he found that the plot was just too thin.

Some of the tv-shows he likes are Mr. Robot, Homeland, The Leftovers and The Last Man on Earth.

Please can you give me some inspiration for which books to give him this Christmas.

Thank you!
from Christina, in Aarhus, Denmark

4. *Need before November 16th* Hi gals! I am in need of much needed book help from you guys yet again! I am looking for sci/fi and fantasy books that are winter, or cold, or holiday themed for my Geek Girls Forever book group. My main caveat is they must be available on audio! Any suggestions you have are much appreciated so always!!!

–Jeanne

5. Can I tell you what’s better than reading all the books? Lists of book recommendations! How lucky I am that this show exists!

In a month, my 71-year-old dad is having knee replacement surgery and will be laid up for weeks, if not months, so he’s gonna need some reading material.

About my dad: he loves the outdoors- fishing, hunting, just doing chores outside like mowing the lawn, and I’d call him a rags-to-riches businessman. He reads pretty voraciously, but almost exclusively local newspapers and magazines like The Week and Bloomberg. He’s definitely NOT a fiction reader (oh, how I’ve tried). His interests include military, business and finance, and current events. He loves TV reality shows like Gold Rush and Deadliest Catch. My gut is leading me toward something like Mary Roach’s “Grunt”: something non-fiction but very readable. Any other ideas for him?

Thanks!

6. Hello,

I have been enjoying your podcast and hope you can help me. We are Muslim Americans, and this political season has been difficult. I have a 14 year old son and a 12 year old daughter, and would like to find literature that shows our faith in a positive light. We have read “I am Malala,” and my daughter loves Ms. Marvel. Bonus if the setting is India.

Thank you

–Sameera

Books Discussed

Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique

The Wangs vs the World by Jade Chang

Shelter by Jung Yun

Stiff by Mary Roach

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World, edited by Mark Collins

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller