Can we just talk about John Green's new novel 'Turtles All The Way Down' real quick?
John Green is back!
Earlier in October, John Green broke his writing hiatus and released a new YA novel, Turtles All the Way Down, his first book in six years.
The book follows Aza Holmes, a 16-year-old would-be detective living in Indianapolis who is trying to track down a missing billionaire, Russell Pickett, with her friend Daisy. But Pickett isn't the only one Aza is trying to find. Aza also lives with severe OCD and anxiety, and frequently gets trapped in thought spirals. One of her big fears is that she is "a fiction" as she struggles to escape her spirals and find herself.
This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Turtles All The Way Down. Join us as we chat about the return of John Green and what sets Turtles All The Way Down apart from his other novels.
Then, inspired by Turtles All The Way Down, we chat about our favorite books that explore mental health, including The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Our Numbered Days by Neil Hillborn, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey, and Looking For Alaska by John Green.
And finally, we close the show with recommendations:
Aliza recommends Kesha's album Rainbow. "Something that has gotten me through the heaviness of being a woman on the internet in the past few weeks has been the album Rainbow by Kesha Rose." (Bonus reading: Check out Mashable's Deputy Managing Editor Alex Hazlett's review of a Kesha concert here.)
Proma recommends watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. "It's laugh out funny, but also extremely dark, and so stupidly well made."
Peter recommends The Florida Project. "It is just a marvelous movie. Really wonderful to watch." He also recommends reading Sarah Polley's New York Times op-ed "The Men You Meet Making Movies."
MJ recommends reading Mashable's Senior Space Reporter Miram Kramer's essay "The discovery that Earth's gold formed in the stars changes the way I see the world."
Things also mentioned in this show:
Proma's essay about why Looking For Alaska is John Green's best novel.
John Green and Hank Green's YouTube channel Vlogbrothers.
Next week we're reading Shirley Jackson's classic horror novel The Haunting of Hill House. We hope you'll join us.
Also, if you're looking to sink your teeth into something longer, we have a new MashReads book club book for the month — I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez. We'll be chatting with Sánchez about the book IRL on Monday, Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. ET. RSVP here and join us!
And if you're looking for even more book news, don't forget to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter.
Topics Books
