The Book Jam Marisa Hicking & Mary Richardson

Marisa and Mary are back-again! We have a new season and a new episode of The Book Jam!  Today’s books are books that we’d recommend to Wednesday Addams herself. A middle grade horror book for the tricky to recommend for advanced reader who could also read Stephen King. A deliciously fun YA read for those who want a vampire story with LGBTQIA+ and a dark academia twist.



 Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile.

Marisa’s book:

The Stars Did Wander Darkling by Colin Meloy. Middle Grade, Grades 5+. Published by Balzer + Bray, September 13, 2022. 

Mary’s book:

Youngblood by Sasha Laurens. Teen, Grades 9+. Published by Razorbill, July 19, 2022.

Books we talked about this episode:

The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid by Colin Meloy

Wildwood Chronicles by Colin Meloy

The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger by Colin Meloy

Everyone's Awake by Colin Meloy

Neil Gaiman books

Margaret Peterson Haddix

IT by Stephen King

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine 

Clive Parker

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman 

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig

Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

The Grimrose Girls by aura Pohl

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Marisa and Mary are back! We have a new season and a new episode of The Book Jam!  Today’s books are books to read not just during Black History Month, but to read all year long. But we don’t just want to focus on reading black authors and black stories during just one month, these are excellent books that are amazing reads that will give you all the emotional feels. Explore sadness and grief on a roadtrip with Mary’s title: Me (Moth) by Amber McBride, a book in verse. Marisa’s title is a YA/new adult book, Required Reading For the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee, about finding your voice and confronting racism on an elite college campus. Today we talk about books that make you feel something. An emotional response is the heart of a good book, a good story, and a good writer.

Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile.

Mary’s book:

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride. Teen, Grades 8+. Published by Feiwel & Friends, August 2021.

Marisa’s book:

Required Reading For the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee. High School, Grades 9+. Published by Crown Books For Young Readers, February 2022.

Books we talked about this episode:

Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Harry Potter series

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Baby-sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin

Marisa and Mary are back! Today we’re talking about the books that got us through the dumpster fire that was 2021. Not all of the books talked about were published in 2021. There are a million reasons to read: sometimes you might read to dive deep to learn about a topic or read to escape. Whatever your reason, here are some of our favorite titles we turned to to help us get through 2021.

Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile.

Books we talked about this episode:

Marisa’s books:

Starfish by Lisa Fipps, Middle Grade, Grades 4+. Published by Penguin Young Readers: Nancy Paulsen Books, March 2021.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Juvenile Fiction, Grades 4+. Published by Dial Books, January 2015.

Both Can Be True by Jules Machias, Middle Grade, Grades 4+. Published by Quill Tree Books, June 2021.

The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angelline Bouley, High School, Grades 9+. Published by Henry Holt & Co., March 2021.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, Teens, Grades 8+. Published by Tor, March 2020.

Mary’s books:

Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clark, High School, Grades 9+. Published by Erewhon, September 2020.

Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, Teen, Grades 7+. Published by Random House Graphic, October 2020.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, High School, Grades 9+. Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers, January 2021.

Cool For the Summer by Dahlia Adler. High School, Grades 9-12. Published by Wednesday Books, May 2021.

Camp by Lev A.C. Rosen, High School, Grades 9+. Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, May 2020.

Books mentioned:

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertali

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books (each book is has unique color name)

Ash by Malinda Lo

Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune

Flash Fire by T.J. Klune

Heat Wave by T.J. Klune

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

Wicked Days by John Allison

By Night by John Allison

Giant Days by John Allison

Marisa and Mary are back with a new episode of The Book Jam! Winter has just begun and it makes us want to read historical fiction books-but these aren’t your typical historical fiction titles. Both titles we talk about today give voice and fresh perspectives to this genre. Marisa talks about So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow; this book was set in 1863 in the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island and centers on the binding love of a family of four black sisters each finding their own way. Mary talks about The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros, a book set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. In this queer historical book (with paranormal elements), a Jewish Romanian immigrant teen is possessed by the dybbuk of his murdered best friend and is thrust into a deadly hunt for a serial killer. Other topics we discuss are our feelings about being told the books you ‘should’ read and how the pandemic affects reading habits. 

Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile.

Marisa’s book:

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow. Teen, Grades 7+. Published by Fiewel Friends, September 2021.

Mary’s book:

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros. Teen, Grades 7+. Published by Inkyard Press, October 2021.

Books Mentioned:

Harry Potter series

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

One of the Good Ones by Marika Moulites and Maritza Moulites

A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee

Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix by Aminah Mae Safi

What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix by Tasha Suri

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore

Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

Delilah Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Ash by Malinda Lo

Huntress by Malinda Lo

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Karen McManus’ works

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson

Guardian of the Galaxy series

Wonder Woman: Lords and Liars by Mariko Tamaki

Wicked Things by John Allison

Marisa and Mary are back with a new episode of The Book Jam!  We love to highlight LGBTQIA+ voices and authors and today’s books are all about non-binary and gender non-conforming characters. Marisa’s book, Both Can Be True by Jules Machias, is a middle grade debut that “explores identity, gender fluidity, and the power of friendship and acceptance in a dual-narrative story about two kids who join forces to save a dog.” Mary speaks about Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe; this is a graphic memoir that relates-with sometimes painful honesty-the experience of growing up gender non-conforming. If this title sounds familiar, it is because it has been in the news lately as some try to ban it from school libraries. Both books are a great read if you are queer or questioning, OR if you want to develop a better understanding of the world around you.
Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile.
Marisa’s book:
Both Can Be True by Jules Machias. Middle Grade, Grades 4-8. Published by Quill Tree Books, June 2021.
Mary’s book:
Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kebabe. High School, Grades 9+. Published by Oni Press, May 2019.
Books we talked about this episode:
Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
The Quick and Easy Guides:
A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Mady G. & J.R. Zuckerberg
A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jameson
A Quick & Easy Guide to Consent by Isabella Rotman & Luke Howard
A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Muldoon & Will Hernandez
A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability by A. Andrews
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Once & Future by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy
Sword in the Stars by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough
Get It Together Delilah by Erin Gough
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Cemetery Boy by Aiden Thomas
Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Marisa and Mary are back with a new episode of The Book Jam! Today we are talking about teen spooky and horror books-but not your typical horror books; these books feature BIPOC main characters (one LGBTQIA+) and they are NOT going to be the first ones to die. These books are like no other. We also discuss the need in publishing for more diverse-diverse books, what do we mean? Listen to the episode and hear us discuss these great horrifying reads.

Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile.

Marisa’s book:

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass. Teen, Grades 7-12. Published by Putnam, July 2021.

Mary’s book:

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson. High School. Grades 9-12. Published by Katherine Tegen Books, September 2021.

Books we talked about this episode:

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Harry Potter series

Six of Crows by Leigh  Bardugo

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-íyímídé

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Prom House by Chelsea Mueller

Gamechanger by Neal Shusterman