The Wish by Nicholas Sparks The Wish by Nicholas Sparks The Wish by Nicholas Sparks

Episode 259
Our Holiday Recommendations Show!

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Amanda and Jenn answer holiday gift-giving questions in this week’s episode of Get Booked.

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Questions

1. Hi! I’m looking for a gift idea for my 55 year old brother-in-law. He’s a retired jailer, anti-vaxxer, Republican who can trounce anyone at Jeopardy!

He likes to learn things but is not a huge reader. He’s been on a Bill O’Reilly kick but I would like to find him something with an alternative point of view that might still be interesting to him and keep him engaged. 

Thanks, love your podcast and you both!

-Leenie

2. Hi Amanda and Jenn!!

I love your podcast and listen to it regularly.

I’m looking for a book for my 17 year old brother for the holidays, but since I’m younger than him and I’m not really into the same books as him anyway, I’m at a loss for what to purchase. He loves long epic fantasy series and horror (he has read a good chunk of all the Stephen King stuff and loved The Dark Tower series especially, but also likes books more in line with the Lord of the Rings books and A Song of Ice and Fire series).

Again, he is seventeen, so more adult-ish books are fine, he just isn’t a fan of a bunch of romance. Also, if your picks could be series’ that already have all/most of the books out, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks a million!!

-Quinn

3. Hello ladies. I was hoping you could help me find a couple good books to give my father for Xmas this year. His favorite genres tend to be historical fiction (which I don’t read much of personally) or science-y nonfiction (he is a retired anesthesiologist with a passion for plants). Some books he has read and enjoyed are A Gentleman in Moscow, Bill Bryson’s books (The Body &  A Short History of Nearly Everything), Cutting for Stone, Barkskins, Ken Follet’s books, & Mary Roach’s books.

He can be a little depressive and this has been a hard year (for everyone) so something not too heavy/depressing might be better. Maybe steer clear of war (he found Grunt particularly depressing as it highlighted the many ways we’ve worked to destroy each other). I was considering Homegoing or Pachinko as I’ve heard so many positive things about them and think the family saga aspect seems similar to Cutting for Stone, but they do both also seem potentially heavy subject matter. Caitlin Doughty is also already on his list as my younger sister was considering pursuing mortuary science for a time.

Thanks! 

-Jean

4. I’m looking for a book to get for a friend for Christmas. She’s a middle school science teacher (but she’s trying to get into a high school) so I usually get her science based books. Years past I’ve gotten her The Emperor of all Maladies and Get Well Soon. She suffers from depression and climate change can be a trigger for her, so while I think she would love Lab Girl, I think it might be too much, especially this year.  Can you help me?

-Angela

5. Looking for a Christmas book for my 10 year old nephew. He loves a rags to riches type story,  especially about sports.  A recent fav was Unstoppable by Tim Green. Last year I got him The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and he loved it. Thank you!!

-Kendal

6. I would like to find a cozy Christmas read. I’m down for any genre, though if it is romance, I would prefer a WLW if possible. It’s not something I have come across before, but Christmas is my favorite time of year. Any help for this Christmas nerd/bookworm? 

-Beth

7. **Response before Christmas** 🤷🏻‍♀️ Hi All, This is my favorite podcast. I’m looking for a book for my husband. He’s not a reader, but he likes mysteries. When he was younger he read Sherlock Holmes and LOTR (that’s the only books he can name for me). He said I could buy him a mystery and I need help. I obviously got really excited. He doesn’t want it to be long (maybe a novella or under 300 pages. I have no idea if there are novella mysteries). He also said it’s be okay if it might be a little sci-fi. We like Doctor Who, Star Wars and started watching Stargate recently. He doesn’t want it to be a Star Wars story or Doctor Who story. He said he might be interested in Agatha Christie because he liked the movie Murder on the Orient Express. He’s giving me a lot of ideas but I obviously have no idea where to start. Any help you can give me would be awesome! 

-Mikala

Books Discussed

The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu

The Answer Is by Alex Trebek

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Poppy War series by R.F. Kuang (ALL THE TRIGGER WARNINGS)

Humankind by Rutger Bregman transl Elizabeth Manton and Erica Moore

Braiding Sweetgrass, the gift edition, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, illustrated by Nate Christopherson

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Stephen Brusatte

Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars by Kate Greene

Reaching for the Moon by Katherine G. Johnson

Outcasts United by Warren St. John (mention of violence against women and children)

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (tw: child abuse, sexual assault)

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