Jenn and guest Vanessa Diaz discuss Portuguese novels, ghost stories, unreliable narrators, and more in this week's episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by The Devil's Thiefby Lisa Maxwell and Flight or Fright, edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent.

 

Questions:

 

1. Hello Amanda and Jenn,

This month, after a harrowing vacation planning session wherein I blindly threw a dart at a map, I booked a flight to Portugal. Shortly, after booking my ticket, I realized I really don't know much about the country and its literature. Can you help me find something to read that's either set in Portugal or by a Portuguese author before my trip?

I've read a number of books about Spain and books by Spanish authors, so I'd prefer to avoid overlap. Although I'm open to non-fiction, I would prefer a fiction recommendation. I read almost every genre within fiction, but I tend to avoid YA and romance. To give you a general feel for my taste in books, some of my all-time favourites books are:

-A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara,

-The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami,

-Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and

-Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Many thanks,

--Rebecca

 

2. Hi Amanda and Jenn,

First I want to say I love your show and I read a lot of your recommendations. So I absolutely loved I Am Pilgrim and need some more books like it. I love books that have multiple plot lines that converge in the end. Please help me find some more books to put on my shelf. I will read anything except Romance. I prefer mystery and historical fiction. By the way if this finds its way on the show that would be great.

Thanks

--Brittney

 

3. Hi Guys!

I’m looking for a book recs for good horror novels that involve ghosts. I’m a huge horror movie fan and particularly love ghost stories & found footage movies. In reading, however, I’ve stuck mostly with Urban & High Fantasy novels. I’m looking to expand my taste a bit this year and have also found that I’m running out of horror movies to watch. I’ve attempted a few Stephen King novels including “It" but have a hard time digesting the homophobia within towns make up. I understand where the novel comes from and usually don’t have a problem with being faced with the uglier side of humanity. However, because of that particular form of ugly, I’m extremely tentative when it comes to horror books. Can you recommend some horror novels centered around hauntings & ghost stories? Bonus if they include LGBT characters — particularly gay or lesbian couples.

Thank you for your time,

--Oddy

 

4. I am going through a difficult breakup and am finding escaping into reading a healthy way to deal with my feelings. I recently read The Night Circus for the first time and found it was a great book for me right now not necessarily because of the genre but because of the immersive environment the author creates and because the ending is generally happy. I started reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell hoping it would provide a similar imaginative environment but I'm finding the beginning a little slow. I am open to any genre of book as long as it is immersive and not depressing. Thank you for your help!

--Lauren

 

5. Hi,

I love your podcast, and I'm so happy it comes out every week now!

I was wondering if you can help me find more books with an unreliable narrator. I have read Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, Await Your Reply, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

I particularly enjoy books when you don't actually know if the narrator is unreliable or not until you get into it as opposed to Mr Ripley where I knew from the start.

Thanks! I await your reply. ;-)

--Kaci

 

6. Books with borderline characters or any type of mental illness?

--Sad reader

 

7. Hi gang,

Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina!!!!!

My name is Agustin

I´m looking for recommendations for books about libraries and or books or in which these elements are important to the plot.......... quite specific, sorry :( but i´m hooked and I crave these kinds of books!!!!

Basically I´ve read:

THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT CHAR by Scott Hawkins

ALL THE NAMES by Jose Saramago

THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Ecco (awesome!!)

MR. PENUMBRA´S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan

THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

And I don´t know about any other books along these lines.

Never miss an episode!

help me get booked, you are my only hope!!! :P

love,

--Agustin!

 

Books Discussed:

Mech Cadet Yu by Greg Pak, art by Takeshi Miyazawa

Improvement by Joan Silber

Everything's Trash, But It's Ok by Phoebe Robinson

Blindness by Jose Saramago (tw: sexual assault, violence, rape)

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due (tw: racial violence, rape, harm to children)

Affinity by Sarah Waters (tw: mention of suicide)

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

Borderline by Mishell Baker (tw: self harm, suicide)

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy edited by Kelly Jensen

Long Division by Kiese Laymon

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte

Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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