The Dog Doesn’t Die

Jenn Northington Oct 15, 2020

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Amanda and guest Sharifah discuss horror in the woods, inclusive Thanksgiving books, copyediting, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by The Storybound Podcast, Saga Press, publishers of Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun, and the Award-Winning Bestseller: Athena’s Choice.

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Questions

1. I’m looking for an atmospheric autumn/Halloween read, think corn mazes, pumpkins, ghosts, creepy things happening etc. I’m a wuss when it comes to scary stuff, so I typically stick to middle grade or YA when I read creepy books. I’ve read Dead Voices and Small Spaces by Katherine Arden and loved them, anything similar to those two would be great!

-Heather

2. TIME SENSITIVE I’m heading to a cabin in the woods with some friends on Nov 3 (we’re all voting by mail and hope to escape inevitable news cycle surrounding the election, at least for a few days), and I’m looking for something to bring with to set the mood. I’ve been trying to find a good horror (or horror-comedy) book that’s set in the woods, like The Ritual by Adam Neville (the first half of it, anyway) or Blair Witch, really anything with spooky fall and woodsy vibes. I’ll take any format, novel, novella, short stories, whatever you’ve got! Preferably supernatural horror, gore is fine, but I’d really rather avoid anything with rape in it.

Alternatively, if you’ve got a rec for a good wlw romance set around Halloween or autumn in general, I’ll take that, too!

Thanks for all you do with the podcast!

-Christine

3. I’m a new homeschooling mom to a Kindergartner, and I’m looking ahead to Thanksgiving. In the past we’ve just focused on what the holiday means to us, and ignored the history, but now feels like the right time, especially since this may be our only year homeschooling (and I have no clue if they’re still teaching the “First Thanksgiving” myth in schools).

I already have 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving and Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving on my list. Anything else along these lines would be great. Also, anything showing Native American life from around this time, or from the European settlers’ point of view (as long as it doesn’t paint them as heroes or saviors), would also be welcome. Can you recommend any books on this theme? Thanks!

P.S. I love the show. I especially enjoyed Episode 250. I’ve been listening since the beginning so it was fun to look back on the last five years.

-Charleen

4. Y’all, I am trying but it is HARD. I live in a very red area and feel increasingly like I do not understand anyone around me or why they believe what they do. I’m trying to buck up against feeling so different and arm myself with some understanding so I can try and feel less like I’m fighting an enemy and more like I’m talking about differences in opinion based on experiences and personal philosophies and and maybe make some progress. I realized that I study people through fiction. Can you recommend fiction where a character has conservative values and is likeable and maybe even goes into how their values were formed? This is probably a really hard question, but you have five years of experience (congrats on that!) so I thought I would try. Thank you!

-Brooke

5. Hello, Could you please recommend a book/multiple books that would serve someone wanting to become a copyeditor or proofreader with no previous experience? Thank you! I enjoy listening to your podcast.

-Megan

6. Two of my recent favorite books have been “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane” by Lisa See and “Before We Visit the Goddess” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. For me, these books were an exploration of complex mother-daughter relationships embedded in the life stories of the mother, daughter, and granddaughter. I loved learning about each individual woman, but in doing so gaining greater understand of her relationship with the other women in her life. Another book I recently read along this theme was “The Storyteller’s Secret” by Sejal Badani. I am looking for recommendations of similar books that provide life stories of women across generations, and explore complex mother-daughter-granddaughter relationships.

-Hillary

7. Hi Amanda and Jenn! After a recent encounter with missionaries and hopping down a YouTube rabbit hole, I’ve become fascinated with stories about people leaving conservative, restrictive religious sects. I’ve read a few memoirs/nonfiction books on the subject (Escape by Carolyn Jessup, Leaving the Witness by Amber Scorah, The Book of Separation by Tovah Mirvis, and I’m eagerly anticipating God Land by Lyz Lenz), and a great young adult novel (Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu, plus I have Release by Patrick Ness on my list). I would love to read more YA fiction about young people chafing against restrictive religious backgrounds, confronting family expectations, and weighing the risks of leaving their faith. I generally prefer to read about female, LGBTQ+, and/or characters of color (ideally own voices). I adore the show and have found so many great reads through your suggestions! Thank you! 🙂

–Maeve