The Stacks

You might know her from Glee or Showmance Podcast , but today you're going to see actress and producer Jenna Ushkowitz in a whole new way. She sits down with us to talk about her reading habits and why, as a type A person, she struggles with reading sometimes feeling like "work". We also discuss sourcing material for TV and film projects, book buying bans, and her love of canine protagonists. You...

We are talking about Educated by Tara Westover on The Stacks Book Club today. Author and podcast host Sarah Enni helps us break down why this story became a mega-bestseller and why its the book that everyone is still talking about. We also debate the role of fact versus memory in memoir, and what this book means in the current political climate. There are spoilers on this episode. You can find lin...

Author and historian Ibram X. Kendi joins us today on The Short Stacks to talk about his New York Times Bestselling book, How to be an Antiracist . We discuss how he came to write this book as a mix of history and memoir. Then he shares his advice for discussing racism with loved ones, and gives us plenty of book and author recommendations to continue on our antiracist journeys. There are no spoil...

Sarah Enni is the author of Tell Me Everything and the creator and host of the podcast First Draft with Sarah Enni . She joins us today to talk about writing Young Adult books that don't talk down to her audience, dream podcast guests, and why it can be a huge compliment when we hate a book. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcas...

Actor Clark Moore is back for The Stacks Book Club as we discuss Never Let Me Go by Nobel Laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro. Our conversation focuses on answering a central question in the novel: Who gets to be human? We also discuss the genre of science fiction and the evolution of social movements. There are spoilers on this episode. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stac...

Today on The Short Stacks we have author and journalist, Garrett M. Graff, whose newest book is The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 is a detailed look at the events of September 11, 2001 as told by the people who lived it. Garrett tells us about the process of creating a cohesive narrative from hundreds of interviews, and what he learned about a day that has been etched in the colle...

Actor Clark Moore ( Love, Simon , Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ) is our guest on the show today. We talk about what it is like being an adult that teenagers look up to and how social media has changed the way we see our role models. We also discuss the challenges of being and adult reading YA, and why Clark is seeking out books that center the stories of queer people of color. You can find links to everyth...

Today on The Stacks Book Club, Allison Punch is back to discuss The Cadaver King and the Country Dentists by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington. The Book is an in depth look at two men who are part of the death investigation industry in Mississippi, how their corruption is indicative of the field at large, and how their malpractice is an indictment of the criminal justice system as a whole. There...

Kim Brooks is the author of Small Animals: Parenting in the Age of Fear , a smart social critique of American parenting and the anxities that come along with it. Today she shares with us the details of her story, how fear and the commodification of children has created more fear, and what we can do to stop this feedback loop. There are no spoilers on this episode. You can find links to everything...

Today on The Stacks we have on avid reader and friend of pod, Allison Punch, who you may know better as @AllisonReadsDC on Instagram. Allison talks with us about incorporating reading into her professional life, why she reads books by authors who don't look like her, and gives you all a bunch of recommendations. Get your TBRs ready. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on Th...

Today on The Stacks Book Club we discuss Elizabeth Alexander's memoir The Light of the World about the unexpected death of her husband. We are joined by Dani McClain, author of We Live for the We to discuss this examination of a life well lived. You can find links to everything we talk about on today's episode on The Stacks Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/08/14/ep-72-the-light-of-the-wo...

Ramin Setoodeh is the author of The New York Times Bestseller, Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of "The View" . Ramin joins The Short Stacks to discuss this iconic TV show, how the 2016 election impacted the writing of this book, and which co-hosts make his "The View" Mount Rushmore. There are no spoilers on this episode. You can find links to everything we talk about on today's episod...

Dani McClain is an author and journalist, who's new book We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood is an examination of parenting, community, and social justice. Today we discuss advocating for one's self as a privilege, how non-parents can aid in the work of parenting, and about what books we would and wouldn't teaching in school. You can find links to everything we talk about o...

Today on The Stacks Book Club we're discussing Work Party: How to Create & Cultivate the Career of your Dreams by Jaclyn Johnson. We've brought back founder of Something Social , Calli Cholodenko, to help discuss being a female entrepreneur, finding the balance between being creative and running a business, and other challenges, big and small, women face in the work place. There is so much to...

On this episode of The Short Stacks we have author Bianca Marais on to talk about her sophomore novel, If You Want to Make God Laugh , about three women in South Africa in the immediate aftermath of Apartheid. We discuss Bianca's vision board for writing, dealing with criticism, and the importance of own voice narratives. There are not spoilers on this episode. You can find links to everything we...

If you're on social media (duh, of course you are) you're going want to listen to today's episode to hear tips and tricks from someone who knows. Calli Cholodenko, founder and creative director of Something Social a social media and marketing company, is our guest and she is here to share insights into Instagram's algorithms, brand management , and of course books. You can find links to everything...

Miracle Creek is a courtroom drama meets literary fiction book by Angie Kim, it is also today's selection for The Stacks Book Club. To help us break down this story of parental anxiety, belonging, and the right to life, we have author and activist Rachel Overvoll ( Finding Feminism ). Today we discuss intention vs. impact, the language we use around ability levels, and how we respond to characters...

In August we'll be discussing The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington for The Stacks Book Club . In anticipation, we have author and journalist Radley Balko ( Rise of the Warrior Cop ) on The Short Stacks . We talk about how Radley started reporting on death investigations in Mississippi, the process of working with a legal team for this book, and the In the...

Today on The Stacks, we have author and feminist Rachel Overvoll joining us to discuss her book Finding Feminism , which is a memoir about her upbringing as a fundamentalist Evangelical Christian, her split from the church, and her personal journey toward feminism and empowerment. Rachel shares her own definition of Feminist, her perspectives on leaving religion, and then we go off on a The Bachel...

Today on The Stacks Book Club, we're taking it to the backlist of American Fiction with Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson. Our guest is New York Times Best Selling author Dave Cullen ( Columbine , Parkland ). On this episode we discuss chasing highs, what makes a good cover, and who gets to tell what stories. There are spoilers on this episode.   You can find links to everything we talk about on to...

Miracle Creek is The Stack s Book Club pick for July 17th, and today, we have the author of the book, Angie Kim to give you a spoiler free look into this courtroom drama meets literary fiction about family and obligation. Kim explains how this book is influenced from many different parts of her own life, how she came up with names for her characters, and how Miracle Creek got its title. There are...

Our guest today is two-time New York Times Best Selling author Dave Cullen. His first book, Columbine , is one of host, Traci Thomas', favorite books. Cullen is most recently the author of Parkland: Birth of a Movement . Today we talk about following journalistic instincts, crafting a compelling narrative, and then we get a sneak peek into Dave Cullen's forthcoming book, Soldiers First . There are...

New York Times Best Selling author Lori Gottlieb ( Maybe You Should Talk to Someone ) is back to discuss The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams for The Stacks Book Club. The book provides the reader with a range of emotions as it navigates Yip-Williams' terminal cancer diagnosis and struggle to die with grace. We discuss our ave...

For the first time ever we have two authors on The Stacks at once, and we are thrilled about it. Today we talk to Akiba Solomon and Kenrya Rankin the co-authors of How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance . We discuss the importance of diverse Black voices being represented in the book, how Solomon and Rankin worked together to create it, and the importance of a book proposa...

Today our guest is therapist andauthor Lori Gottlieb, whose new book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed , is a New York Times Best Seller. We talk about how this fascinating book took shape, the importance of mental health, and different kinds of therapy. Then we dive into Lori's reading taste, which can be summed up by her catch phrase, ABAB aka A...