The Stacks

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by National Book Award finalist, New York State Author Laureate, and best-selling author, Min Jin Lee, to talk about her newest book, American Hagwon . In this sweeping novel, a Korean family is forced to relocate and rebuild after their middle-class life is upended by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Lee shares how she uses real-life interviews in her fiction, he...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Jess Lee, DEI consultant, friend of the pod, and the reader behind the Instagram, Literary Intersections . We chat about the popularity of romantasy, the meaning of tropes like Shadow Daddies and fae, and why Jess thinks the genre might be making people dumber. Our book club pick for October is Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry. We will discuss the boo...

It’s The Stacks Book Club day, and Natalie Green, Director of Programs and Partnerships at The National Book Foundation , is back to discuss Edwidge Danticat’s critically acclaimed memoir, Brother, I’m Dying . This National Book Award finalist explores Danticat’s relationship with her two father figures—her uncle Joseph, who raised her as a child in Haiti, and her father, Mira, whom she reunited w...

*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * Y’all know how much I love being a hater and how easily things annoy me, so we’re dedicating a whole episode to the most annoying trends in books these days! I’ve invited Sara Hildreth ( Fiction Matters ), friend of the pod and one of my favorite book people, to rant with me about secrets, tropes, and the state of l...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, journalist, and author Kai Bird to discuss his new book, American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump . This book explores the life of high-powered lawyer and fixer, Roy Cohn, and how his controversial four-decade career directly influenced modern politics. In this episode, we talk about why he...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Booker Prize–winning novelist Marlon James to talk about his newest book, The Disappearers . This novel follows a brutal attack on eight gay actors in 1980s Jamaica and the ways it impacts each of the victims. We chat about how he infuses his books with pop culture, what he thinks about people calling his work “difficult,” and why 2026 is the year of the reveng...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by facilitator, strategic advisor, and best-selling author, Priya Parker to talk about her new book, The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict . In this book, Priya draws on research and her personal experience as a conflict facilitator to explore the ways that building healthy conflict can strengthen our friendships, relationships, and communities...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Natalie Green, the Director of Programs and Partnerships at The National Book Foundation . We talk about what The National Book Foundation does, the details of Natalie’s role, and the NBF programming that’s been resonating most with readers. Our book club pick for September is Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. We will be discussing the book with Natalie G...

It’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and Sequoia Holmes, host of the Black People Love Paramore and Freshly Pop’d podcasts, is back to chat about our August pick, Fish Tales by Nettie Jones. Set in the 1970s, this dark, satirical novel-in-vignettes follows Lewis Jones, a freewheeling young woman partying her way through NYC and Detroit until her independent lifestyle is upended by her relationship with...

*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * On today’s bonus episode, I’m talking all things translated lit with Martha Adams, the author of Martha’s Monthly , a Substack that highlights translated lit. We chat about how Martha began reading books in translation, why she loves them, and how they differ from English-language works. Plus, she shares her top rec...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning author Paul Yoon to talk about his latest book, Etna . Told from the perspective of Etna, an ex-military dog, this book follows his long journey home after years spent fighting in a devastating war. We talk about why Paul wanted to write from a dog's point of view, how his love of reading led him to writing, and the movie he's shockingly never see...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning author De’Shawn Charles Winslow to talk about his latest book, The Fervent Whites . Set in 1982 in the Hudson Valley community of Fervent, this book explores the long-simmering tensions that erupt when their former neighbors, James and Ella White, return with a vengeance after being exonerated of a homicide that once rocked the small town. We chat...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Sequoia Holmes, the award-winning host of the Black People Love Paramore and Freshly Pop’d podcasts. We’re chatting about bouncing back from professional setbacks, how Sequoia got into reading, and why she hasn’t been able to get into romance novels. Our book club pick for August is Fish Tales by Nettie Jones. We will be discussing the book with Sequoia Holmes...

It’s The Stacks Book Club day, and we're joined by nonfiction editor Julianna Haubner to discuss our July pick, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo. This book follows the families of Annawadi, a makeshift settlement near the Mumbai airport, as they strive toward a better life amidst tragedy, global recessions, economic upheaval, and social is...

*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * You knew this episode was coming. Now that the World Cup has officially wrapped up, I'm doing a full recap of our summer of soccer with my favorite amateur sports analyst (and my brother), Brady Thomas. We discuss our overall thoughts, how America did as the host, FIFA's corruption, and what to watch if you're still...

Today on The Stacks, we’re celebrating Traci’s 40th birthday! That’s right, it’s her actual birthday today, and she’s invited her friends—media personality and Higher Learning co-host Rachel Lindsay, award-winning journalist and podcast host Sam Sanders, actress, podcaster, and author Becca Tobin, and bestselling author Kiese Laymon—to put her in the hot seat and ask all their burning questions. T...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by ProPublica reporter and The New York Times Magazine staff writer, Pamela Colloff, to discuss her book, Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast . This book delves into the life of career con man Paul Skalnik, whose pattern of trading fabricated prison confessions for his own freedom landed a Vietnam veteran on death ro...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by author Shannon Sanders to discuss her debut novel, The Great Wherever . This book follows Aubrey Lamb, a young Black woman who inherits her late father’s share of a Tennessee farm filled with family history, secrets, and the ghosts of her ancestors. We talk about why she chose to use a ghost as her narrator, how she transitioned from writing a short story colle...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by book editor, Julianna Haubner. Julianna is an executive editor at Flatiron Books, where she acquires narrative nonfiction, history, pop culture, and social science books. We chat about her job as an editor, what she looks for in a proposal, who gets to write narrative nonfiction, and her surprising choice for her most-hated book. Our book club pick for July is...

Today is The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re joined by bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi ( Pool House ) to discuss our June pick, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This allegorical novel follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy whose quest from Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of buried treasure transforms into a life-changing journey of self-discovery. We discuss the book’s legacy, how it...

*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * Now that we’re officially halfway through 2026, it’s time for a little mid-year book check-in with friends of the pod, Cree Myles ( All Ways Black ) and Sara Hildreth ( Fiction Matters )! Together, we gush about the books we loved (and hated) from the first half of the year, the titles we’re most excited for in the...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning independent journalist and author Justine van der Leun to talk about her newest book, Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival. Based on seven years of reporting, research, and interviews with over 1000 incarcerated women, this book explores criminalized survival—a phenomenon in which people who defen...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by legendary former major league baseball player and manager, Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr., to talk about his new memoir, Crossroads: A Memoir in Baseball and Life . In this book, Dusty reflects on his extraordinary life and baseball career while sharing the hard-earned wisdom and lessons he learned along the way. We discuss his thoughts on baseball's evolution ov...

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by best-selling author Mary H.K. Choi to discuss her newest novel, Pool House . Set against the backdrop of Hollywood, this book explores the complex relationship between Stevie and her mother, Moon, as they share their glass-walled pool house when financial struggles force them to rent out their home. We chat about what it’s like publishing a book in today’s lite...

It’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re once again joined by award-winning author, theoretical physicist, and cosmologist, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, to discuss Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu. Set in the early ‘90s, this book traces the decades-long friendship between Ruth and Maria, whose intense childhood bond is tested in adulthood by the glamorous yet competitive nature of the New York Cit...