In The Mood For Pumpkins

Amanda and Jenn discuss fall books, science & technology history, novels about cults, and more on this week’s episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by What the Dickens?! by Bryan Kozlowski and The Case of the Defunct Adjunct by Frankie Bow. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS here, or via iTunes here. The show can also be found on Stitcher here.   Questions 1. Hey Y’all! I am obsessed with all things FALL. Think pumpkin spice, sweaters, cinnamon, apples, I think you get the idea. I’ve been lucky to travel a lot with my job, so I’ve got to see some places that have absolutely gorgeous Falls. I think Pennsylvania has been my favorite, so far, because the whole atmosphere just felt so Fall-ish (is that a word???). I’m from Louisiana where we don’t have much of a Fall. It goes from unbearably hot, two days of gorgeous Fall weather, and then everything is brown and dead for Winter. Can y’all recommend some books that help put me in a Fall state of mind? I’m pretty open to all genres. I’m not really into science fiction or horror. I really like paranormal or magical type fiction. I would prefer something a bit more light-hearted, but I do like thrillers and non-fiction, as well. I read both YA and adult fiction. I can’t wait to hear what y’all recommend! Thanks, Sara K. AND It’s September 1st as I write this, and autumn is just around the corner! Could you recommend me any books about people enjoying fall, maybe even specifically taking place in the Northwest US? I’m in the process of planning a trip to Seattle in late October, and I want to get excited for the season and maybe even get some ideas of what to do and see while I’m there. Generally, I love YA, but I’m also trying to branch out to different genres to diversify my reading. On the topic, I do like #diversebooks and reading about people from different walks of life. Thanks in advance for any recommendations! 🙂 –Jessica   2. Hi Get Booked! Love the show, it’s a great commute companion! I was wondering if you could recommend some non-fiction books related to the history of science and technology? I’ve read and enjoyed Holly Tucker’s Blood Work, Richard Holmes’s Age of Wonder, and most recently Denise Kiernan’s Girls of Atomic City, and am looking for another great read that places science within a larger social and cultural context. Thanks! Bookish Science Nerd   3. Loving the show so far. My highlight of 2015 was plowing through all four of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. It was pretty much instant love and months later I am still looking for a book to cure my hangover. As powerful as the setting was I think it is the voice that I am craving the most; so straightforward and honest. I also love how they were plotted and paced while still giving me so much to chew on. Any suggestions for a similar reading experience? Are there any other bildungsroman with female narrators that you would recommend? –Amanda   4. Hello! I recently read The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, about a girl who escapes from a cult only to end up in Juvenile Detention. I was very intrigued by it, and am interested in more fictional portrayals of cults. Any suggestions? –Samantha   5. Looking for books like Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series; smart thrillers with a dash of the unsolved mysteries vibe of the Illuminati and whatnot. –David   6. Hi! I am a college student who stills love to read YA, but as the genre becomes more and more popular, I feel like there are some plots that I keep hearing over and over again. It may be that I need to explore some adult books as well and balance it out, can you recommend some adult books that someone new to the genre would enjoy! Thank you!! –Ashley   Books Discussed The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry The Secret History by Donna Tartt Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History by Florence Williams The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert Pandemic by Sonia Shah Grunt by Mary Roach I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud Girls From Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe (recommended by Rachel Fershleiser) Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (recommended by Rachel Fershleiser) Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu Arcadia by Lauren Groff The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante Post on Cult Hits: 5 YAs To Satisfy Your Kimmy Schmidt Cravings by Sona Charaipotra The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte, trans. Sonia Soto The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger Oye What I’m Gonna Tell You by Cecilia Rodríguez Milanés