#175: People and Not-So-People

Jenn and guest Kelly Jensen discuss reads about anxiety, foodie books, Disney read-alikes, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling, and You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook.

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Questions

1. Hi!

So, up until recently I hadn’t thought about what “type” of books I like most. The more I read, the more I find myself getting emotionally sucked into books about a dark or otherwise serious subject matter told from a child’s/teen/young person’s point of view. Examples would be Room, and To Kill A Mockingbird. I love “reading between the lines” and picking up on subtle hints and clues to what’s going on in the story, rather than outright descriptions told from an adult or omniscient narrator. I’m a mental health therapist and I work predominantly with teenagers who have been through some sort of, so it’s kind of obvious where my pull towards these books comes from.

The book doesn’t have to be about major traumatic events (abuse, neglect, rape, etc), just serious subject matter that a young person is dealing with and trying to interpret and work through.

Thank you so much!!!!

-Alissa

2. I am looking for African-American, Bi-sexual, and women with disabilities, literature. I love fiction, some fantasy some siFi, romantic suspense, and both mysteries and thrillers. oh and classic literature, and women’s fiction. Some Young Adult is okay. No Paranormal, or aliens having human babies, no cloning, and weird stories. yuck! I am blind so the books must be available in an accessible format.

-Melissa

3. Hello. I work at a nonprofit hunger relief organization and am looking for recommendations for our staff book club. Specifically, I am hoping you have some ideas for a graphic novel or graphic nonfiction book about any of the following topics, ideally in combination: food, nutrition, nonprofits, social justice, equity, or inclusion. We have read two books so far, Big Hunger and Behind the Kitchen Door, and have a good list of future options, but I thought it might be nice to try something less wordy at some point. Must be appropriate for discussion in a work setting. Can be something we could read all at once or in installments. Thank you for the tips and for the amazing show!

-Leah R

4. I love watching documentaries (my favorite film genre) and reading non fiction as well as science fiction. I recently read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and loved them both. Currently I am reading Going Clear by Lawrence Wright and loving it as well. (Side note, if you haven’t seen the HBO documentary made from the book you are truly missing out) I am worried I wouldn’t be able to find any more weird non fiction & science fiction to read once I am done with Going Clear. Any suggestions would be super helpful.

-Kiirah

5. Hi,

I’m always on the lookout for great book recommendations for my amazing niece. She loves YA fantasy (Throne of Glass is one of her favorite series) and Disney. Her favorite princess is Mulan, so she really likes strong female characters. She’s African American, so I would love to find a book for her featuring a non-white protagonist, since they are underrepresented in fiction and thus hard to come by.

Any help you can give me is wonderful. I hate to give her gift cards for her birthday or Christmas because it feels so impersonal to me.

Thanks,

-Heather

6. So I need help trying to find books similar to my favorites. I LOVE Marcus Zusak, author of “I Am the Messenger” and “The Book Thief”.

I love the writing style, the quip literary remarks, the funny quotes and how the actual physical writing is different (fonts, margins, etc.).

I also enjoy how closely I become connected to the characters. They are ones I won’t soon forget.

They are both books I’ve read and recommend to everyone and now I’m looking for other books that are as similar to him as possible.

-Dallas

7. Hello! I was recently diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and I’m hoping you can recommend some books that have characters with that diagnosis or something similar. I am not picky whether it’s YA, or fantasy, or whatever, but I do tend to lean more towards YA. A memoir would be particularly interesting.

Thank you!

-Kino

Books Discussed

The Vela S1 by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, SL Huang, and Rivers Solomon

The Handmaid’s Tale Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood and illustrated by Renee Nault

Kidlit These Days podcast

All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

Meal by Blue Dellaquanti, illustrated by Soleil Ho (rec’d by Elisa)

Comic Books With Recipes post

Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Themby Jennifer Wright

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

The Watch That Ends The Night by Allan Wolfe

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Final Draft by Riley Redgate

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

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