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Amanda and Jenn discuss October reads, books set in India, angry female characters, and more in this week's episode of Get Booked.

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Here We Are by Graham Swift and Birchwood by John Banville (rec'd by Cat)

Questions

1. Hi!

I’m looking for some great books for October. I love October so much I’m already trying to plan my reads for the month. 

Books I have read and loved: 

-Mexican gothic 
- the year of witching 
-the southern book club’s guide to slaying vampires 
- wilder girls
- the fireman 

I love creepy (but not scary) and witches! Give me all the witches. I read a secret history of witches but was not into it because it moved slow and repeated the same story all through the book.  

I can’t wait to curl up with a PSL and a good October book! Happy spooky season!

-Jessica

2. Hi ladies! I recently read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and absolutely loved it. It also made me realize how little I have read books by Indian authors that take place in India. Do you have any recommendations? I read pretty much any genre, though in this case I would prefer no YA or romance. I know this is a pretty broad question, but I’m hoping you can help. 

Thank you in advanced! 

-Anonymous

3. I am a streamer on a website called Twitch and have decided that in the new year I would like to do some 30 minute ‘read with me’ streams, so after reading the story we can all chat about it together.

I feel like short stories would definitely work best for this so I was hoping you would have some recommendations please? Twitch is primarily aimed at gamers so Fantasy, sci fi, horror and comedy would probably work best although always up for suggestions if you think otherwise!

Love the show and thanks,

-Kelsey 

4. Hello,

First of all, I love the show, it is one of the highlights of my week.  I work as a secretary at a high school library and we get a lot of students asking for books similar to A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer.  I personally haven't read it, so I am struggling.  Any suggestions for some read-alikes that would be high school appropriate?

Thank you so much for your help!

-Ariel

5. I love classics like Jane Austen but I've read them so much, any suggestions?

-Olivia

6. Hi,

I thoroughly enjoy your show and am always amazed at your knowledge of book recommendations.  I am in the middle of reading ‘Lonesome Dove’ and I’m already dreading the time when it will end. Can you recommend similar books that have strong character building?  It doesn’t necessarily need to be a western... I prefer books on the longer side since I tend to read books pretty quickly.  Also, I would like to read more of Larry Mcmurtry’s books but he’s written so many of them, not sure where I should start. Any thoughts?  I appreciate you taking the time to respond!  I look forward to hearing what you recommend!

-Susan

7. So, it seems I love books with "unlikeable" or just downright angry female characters. I've read The Woman Upstairs, Fates and Furies, Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, Jillian , Luckiest Girl Alive, How To Be A Good Wife, Green Girl and Hausfrau. What if anything is left out there for me?

-Maria

Books Discussed

All the Murmuring Bones by AG Slatter (tw: incest, child abuse)

The Library of the Dead by TL Huchu (cw: harm to children, racist policing incident)

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara (tw: harm to children)

Books Set in India post: https://bookriot.com/books-set-in-india/

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (cw: intimate partner violence, infertility & miscarriage) 

The Merry Spinster by Daniel M. Lavery (may be listed under Mallory Ortberg)

Firebreak by Nicole Horner-Stace

White Oleander by Janet Fitch (tw: child abuse, suicide)

Educated by Tara Westover (cw: child abuse)

Elizabeth Gaskell

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Son by Phillipp Meyer (tw: torture, harm to children)

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich (cw: harm to pregnant women)

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce (tw: domestic violence, miscarriage)

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzel Hall (cw: reference to teenage suicide, racism, cyber bullying, disordered eating, and others)