The Lit Library

Grab your pumpkin spice latte, or something a little stronger, because this episode of The Lit Library is straight out of your nightmares (in the best way). Jaleesa, Diamond, Shawndra, and Fancy crack open Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory, a chilling, brilliant, and deeply human story that’ll make you think twice about creaky floorboards and Southern “reform” schools. 👻 We’re talking ghosts, gene...

Welcome back book baes! Weeee are back with another amazing author as we continue our limited series, The Road to #BRBF26, where we sit down with some of your favorite authors  headed to #BRBF26! This month, we have the extremely talented, Kami Holt author of Search My Soul, Intercept My Heart, and so many more amazing book. Today she pops in to discuss when she fell in love with black romance rea...

Welcome back book baes! Weeee are kicking off our limited series, The Road to #BRBF26, where we sit down with some of our favorite featured authors you can expect to see at #BRBF26! First up, we have the extremely talented hybrid baddie, Tati Richardson aka T.M. Richardson, author of Losing Sight and The Secrets Series! We discuss everything from the tropes we could spend the week in, to big Nadin...

Welcome back book baes! On this episode of The Lit Library, we crack open ReShonda Tate’s dazzling historical fiction novel, The Queen of Sugar Hill. Set against the glittering backdrop of 1940s and 50s Atlanta, this historical fiction reimagines the life of Hattie McDaniel—the first Black woman to win an Academy Award—and places her at the center of a story filled with ambition, glamour, heartbre...

We have a very special episode today , our Podiversary! It's been one whole year of reviewing book and shooting the shit as friends who love to read, and it's only right we bring it back to where it all began for our BOTM, Danielle Allen and The Curve series. We started episode one with Curvy Girl Summer and we're celebrating year one with Nina and Russ as we dive into, Plus Size Playe...

We have a very special episode today as we welcome our first guest to The Lit Library and New Pen On The Block! Author extraordinaire and pen maven, DL White  drops it to talk about books, writing, and drops some gems of wisdom on new pens, C.M. Barnes and DH Renfroe! The ladies get together to pick DL’s brilliant mind and her next release, Missing Persons.  Panel  DL White - 🔗 https://www.booksb...

We have a very special episode today as we introduce our very 1st New Pen On The Block author, and resident book baddie, DH Renfroe. The ladies get together to not only talk about her debut release, Creative Differences as well as pick her brain as a new author, her creative process, and what’s next for the newest pen on the block! Panel  Shawndra - @Elle_Monique (X) | @Poppin_Pages (Tik Tok) | @P...

Y’all missed us? Good, we missed y’all too! Welcome back to The Lit Library! The ladies are together again to re-cap the beauty that was the inaugural Black Romance Book Fest. Your resident book baddies gush over the love, light, support, and black ass good time they had at the event. Tune in and get your coins ready for 2026! Panel  Shawndra - @Elle_Monique (X) | @Poppin_Pages (Tik Tok) | @Poppin...

Welcome to a very special episode of The Lit Library! You might notice our resident menace missing from this episode, but that’s for a reason. Today we are discussing the debut novel, ENIGMA from our resident book baddie Candice aka C.M. Barnes. We get very familiar with Caleb, Layanna, Ahmir, Dana, and Ajaih in this why choose urban erotica! It gets filthy, but press play anyways and hear what yo...

Happy Friday and welcome back to The Lit Library! Join us for a start of the weekend book dive in as Shawndra, Fancy, and Bri discuss Wahala the debut novel from author Nikki May. We meet Ronke, Boo, and Simi, a close knit group of friends navigating life as they try to chase their dreams. Things take an unexpected turn when they befriend Isobel, where they quickly learn three’s company but four’s...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! Settle in with us as we get into this special episode to discuss the final book of T.M. Richardson’s The Secrets Series, The Opportunity. We meet Nadine and her judgemental ways in The Oath, and we tolerate her in The Offer, but we finally learn her story in The Opportunity. Shawndra, Fancy, and Candice sit down to talk about the unique spin Tati puts on her story...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! We’re a little late with the month's episode, but we’re always reppin! Your favorite book baddies on the book block are locking in with Jas Hammonds as we discuss #BOTM We Deserve Monuments.  This is a gripping coming of age story that focuses on the intersectionality of racism and queerness in the south as we’re introduced to Avery, a black, queer, teenage gir...

Welcome back to Bookmark This! Jaleesa & Shawndra are back and reaady to finish talking Needful Noor as they dive into book 2 by Takerra Allen. Join us as we discuss the highs & lows of Noor & Dorian’s love story. Noor is the nurse for Dorian’s sick wife. Dorian is trying to cope with the changes in an already struggling marriage. Do Shawndra & Jaleesa stay on opposite sides of the...

Welcome to Bookmark This! A little listen into the books we consume in between episodes. For our first episode, Jaleesa & Shawndra discuss the messiness that is Needful Noor Book 1 by Takerra Allen. Join us as we discuss the highs & lows of Noor & Dorian’s love story. Noor is the nurse for Dorian’s sick wife. Dorian is trying to cope with the changes in an already struggling marriage....

Welcome back to The Lit Library! On the day of love, your favorite book baddies are Losin Sight with Tati Richardson. Join us as we are introduced to Tanika, an all around sports reporting baddie who’s need for glasses is impacting her life and Gideon, a handsome optometrist who is learning that moving on after losing love is not a bad thing and what happens when a magical pair of glasses and some...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! Happy 2025 and come on in as the ladies open the new year with Someone Had To Do It by Amber & Danielle Brown. The ladies embark on this thrilling mystery as FMC Brandi Maxwell grinds their gears. Then we pivot to the heart wrenching feeling evoking Bookmarked by Bella Jay as Juice and Books take us on an unforgettable emotional rollercoaster for our #BOTM and...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! We’re closing out the bookish year as resident book baddie Diamond introduces us to the thrilling world of S.A. Cosby. This month we combine our #BOTM and #NTM as we take on the S.A. Cosby thriller, Razorblade Tears. A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance. Press play as we dive head first into this enthralling mystery thriller! Pan...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! We’re ushering in the holidays nice and naughty as your resident book baddies welcome listeners to the Danger Zone. We discuss not one, not two, but all three books from Endiya Carter’s Danger series. Find out how the Danger brothers rank amongst the collective, as well as what we loved, hated, and made us clutch our pearls. Be sure to chime in and let us know whic...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! Happy Holiday Season book baddies! Settle in as resident boss lady Shawndra introduces the crew to Lou and Symantha as we fall in love with their healing journey in Ashley Nicole’s The Closer I Get To You. We discuss the blossoming of healing and love between Lou and Symantha as Lou begrudgingly faces his traumatic past instead of continuing to run. Press play as w...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! Settle in Litties as we dive into the genre of Speculative Fiction as discuss Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell. Sky Full of Elephants follows the journey of Charlie and his biracial daughter Sydney in the the aftermath of a genocidal event in which every White person in America wakes up, walks into the nearest body of water and drowns. Press play as we get in...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! Settle in Litties as we take a dive into the world of Tia Love, the next author in our  “New to Me” series,  as we discuss #CurrentlyUntitled. Our resident Lit baddie, Candice, introduces us to Tim and Natalaia as they navigate mixing business with pleasure and pleasure with pain. #CurrentlyUntitled takes us on a grown and sexy emotional rollercoaster that we did n...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! The Litties are back a little late but more ready than ever to discuss our books of the month, I Will Remember You by L. Jaye Morgan and Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight. Diamond and Shawndra introduce our 1st thriller and historical family drama, so tune in! Panel  Shawndra - @Elle_Monique (X) | @Poppin_Pages (Tik Tok) | @Poppin_Pages (IG) Jaleesa - @JaleesaRea...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! The Lit Ladies are back and ready to discuss the next author in the  “New to Me” series, Colliding With Fate by AE Valdez. Our resident Litties, Diamond, Fancy, and Bri introduce us to the fireworks that are Kyrell and Quinn!  The ladies discuss this emotional masterpiece from AE Valdez, so tune in! Panel  Shawndra - @Elle_Monique (X) | @Poppin_Pages (Tik Tok) | @P...

Welcome back to The Lit Library! The Lit Ladies are back and ready to discuss the books of the month! We dive into book 1 of Natasha Bishop’s The Lost & Found Series, When We Found Our Home and end the episode by discussing DL White and The Never List, where the ladies were split on their love/hate of Esme! Tune in to see how we rated both books and give us your thoughts as well! Panel  Shawnd...

How Can You Not Love Belvin? Welcome back to The Lit Library! The Lit Ladies are back and introducing their “New to Me” series, where each bookish bae suggests an author the others are not familiar with. Our resident book baddie Jaleesa introduces us to Ezra and Lex in Love Belvin’s Love Unaccounted trilogy!  The ladies discuss everything they liked, loved, and could do without as we discuss In Co...