Tara, Meredith, and Jeannette go off to New York City to discuss The City We Became. How the book is a love letter to New York City yet a critique on society with racism. Also, the interesting process of how a city is born. Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Next Episode’s Book: Pride on Goodreads and Bookshop

Meredith, Tara, and Jeannette talk about settings, and how much a setting matters in a book. What does it mean for the setting to be a character in the story? How much does the setting matter to the reader? Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Raybearer on Goodreads and Bookshop Percy Jackson on Goodreads and Bookshop Such a Fun Age on Goodreads and Bookshop The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly on Goodreads and Bookshop Lord Brocktree on Goodreads and Bookshop A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom on Goodreads and Bookshop The Golem and the Jinni on Goodreads and Bookshop City of Ghosts on Goodreads and Bookshop Tunnel of Bones on Goodreads and Bookshop Bridge of Souls on Goodreads and Bookshop Infomocracy on Goodreads and Bookshop Neverwhere on Goodreads and Bookshop The Night Circus on Goodreads and Bookshop

Susan, Meredith, and Jeannette discuss the Forest of Enchantments and what they thought of the Ramayana being told from Sita’s perspective. They talk about the themes of love and enduring as well as the impact Ram had made on Sita’s life. Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Palace of Illusions on Goodreads and Bookshop Next Episode’s Book: The City We Became on Goodreads and Bookshop

Jeannette, Meredith, and Susan discuss journeys and road trips in books. What makes them enjoyable? What books come to mind when they think journeys and road trips? Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Rich People Problems on Goodreads and Bookshop The Phantom Tollbooth on Goodreads and Bookshop The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on Goodreads and Bookshop The Road on Goodreads and Bookshop Just Mercy on Goodreads and Bookshop Riot Baby on Goodreads and Bookshop Clap When You Land on Goodreads and Bookshop Party of Two on Goodreads and Bookshop The Lightning Thief on Goodreads and Bookshop The Hobbit on Goodreads and Bookshop Wayward Son on Goodreads and Bookshop Spin the Dawn on Goodreads and Bookshop Darkest Minds on Goodreads and Bookshop Wizard of Oz on Goodreads and Bookshop

Jeannette has a delightful chat with Jasmine Guillory, author of the Wedding Date, The Proposal, and more. They talk about her newest book, Party of Two, what make her couples so much fun, and of course, dessert! Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Jasmine Guillory The Wedding Date on Goodreads and Bookshop The Proposal on Goodreads and Bookshop The Wedding Party on Goodreads and Bookshop Royal Holiday on Goodreads and Bookshop Party of Two on Goodreads and Bookshop From the Desk of Zoe Washington on Goodreads and Bookshop The Glass Hotel on Goodreads and Bookshop

Susan, Meredith, and Tara talk schools; or rather a gifted school for the gifted. They talk about status, competition, and class with how parents think they are doing everything they can to help their children succeed. Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Next Episode’s Book: The Forest of Enchantments on Goodreads and Bookshop

Happy Pride Month! Meredith, Tara, and Susan talk LGBTQIA+ in the media. How TV leans towards WLW and books lean towards MLM, but there still needs to be more representation, overall. They then talk about their LGBTQIA+ focused book stacks and recs. Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads The Wrath and the Dawn on Goodreads and Bookshop Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope on Goodreads and Bookshop Naturally Tan on Goodreads and Bookshop Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love on Goodreads and Bookshop Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda on Goodreads and Bookshop Drama on Goodreads and Bookshop A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo on Goodreads and Bookshop Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You on Goodreads and Bookshop Stamped from the Beginning on Goodreads and Bookshop Monday’s Not Coming on Goodreads and Bookshop Here for It on Goodreads and Bookshop Reverie on Goodreads and Bookshop Pulp on Goodreads and Bookshop Lies We Tell Ourselves on Goodreads and Bookshop The Gravity of Us on Goodreads and Bookshop You Should See Me in a Crown on Goodreads and Bookshop What If It’s Us on Goodreads and Bookshop Cinderella is Dead on Goodreads and Bookshop We Were Always Here on Goodreads and Amazon George on Goodreads and Bookshop Call Me By Your Name on Goodreads and Bookshop

Black Lives Matter. Black Stories Matter. Share them. Say their names. Don’t let them be silenced. Resources Advancement Project’s List of Organizations Bookshop’s Antiracist Reading Recs Henry Louis Gates, Jr. spotlights the last 50 years of African-American history in “Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise” now streaming in full for free online Guide to Ally-ship: read the short guide here 10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship: on Instagram An anti-racist reading list from Ibram X Kendi List of Black-Owned bookstores in the U.S. The Conscious Kid : A resource to help educate children on racial bias and promoting positive identity development I have No Mouth, and I Must Scream: The Duty of the Black Writer During Times of American Unrest by Tochi Onyebuchi Ibram X Kendi on why not being racist is not enough Accounts to Follow on Social Media The Conscious Kid on Instagram Spinesvines on Instagram The Stacks Podcast on Instagram Diverse Spines on Instagram Bowties and Books on Instagram Where to Donate Black Live Matter: donate here Campaign Zero: donate here The Bail Project: donate here Podcasts/Podcast Episodes Code Switch Podcast: hosted by journalists of color, the podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. Deadline City Podcast: hosted by authors Dhonielle Clayton & Zoraida Cordova who talk about the publishing industry and their writing journeys. First Draft Podcast’s interview with Jason Reynolds, discusses his book LOOK BOTH WAYS, his childhood growing up in DC, his writing career, and more. The Stacks Podcast interview with R. Eric Thomas, author of HERE FOR IT, a collection of humorous and thoughtful essays centering around his identities of Black, Christian, Gay, and American. The Reading Women’s interview with Kiley Reid, author of SUCH A FUN AGE. Black Stories on Youtube Let’s Talk About Race: Nic Stone & Jodi Picoult Amber Ruffin’s Experience with Police on Late Night with Seth Meyers This is My Story - The FBE Cast Untold Story of Black Suffragettes Tara’s Book Rec Sister Outsider - on Goodreads and Bookshop Audre Lourde is a legend. When I read Sister Outsider for the first time a few years ago I felt empowered, I felt rage, I felt sickened - I cried a number of times. Ultimately, it’s a plea for hope and change. Why I picked it? A stunning number of my friends on Goodreads have not read this book. It’s older, but I think it’s just as important now as when it was published. Meredith’s Book Rec Dear Martin on Goodreads and Bookshop This book might be short, but its impact is huge as it tackles racial discrimination, police brutality, and the inequality in the American school system. Why I picked it? This is one of those books that sticks with you. I ugly cried during portions of it, but was still left with hope at the end. It’s also a great time to read it because Nic Stone is publishing a sequel called DEAR JUSTYCE in September 2020 that deals with the very real issues facing Black boys and other minorities in the American justice system. Jeannette’s Book Rec All American Boys on Goodreads and Bookshop Told from the two perspectives of Rashad and Quinn, this book explores the idea of police brutality and the trauma and impact it has on the victim and their community, but it also shows a white teen dealing with his privilege and what his responsibility is as someone who knows the truth behind the incident. Why I picked it? This book is so powerful in the way it handles real issues of discrimination and privilege. It made me think, it made me cry, and it has never really left me. Non-Fiction Book Recs March on Goodreads and Bookshop How to be An Antiracist on Goodreads and Bookshop So You Want to Talk About Race on Goodreads and Bookshop The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness on Goodreads and Bookshop Heavy: An American Memoir on Goodreads and Bookshop White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism on Goodreads and Bookshop Just Mercy:A Story of Justice and Redemption on Goodreads and Bookshop Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America on Goodreads and Bookshop Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You on Goodreads and Bookshop Here For It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America; Essays on Goodreads and Bookshop I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings on Goodreads and Bookshop The Fire Next Time on Goodreads and Bookshop Between the World and Me on Goodreads and Bookshop Sister Outsider on Goodreads and Bookshop Becoming on Goodreads and Bookshop Brown Girl Dreaming on Goodreads and Bookshop Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood on Goodreads and Bookshop Fiction Book Recs The Hate U Give on Goodreads and Bookshop The Fifth Season on Goodreads and Bookshop Kindred on Goodreads and Bookshop Homegoing on Goodreads and Bookshop Invisible Man on Goodreads and Bookshop The Underground Railroad on Goodreads and Bookshop The Nickel Boys on Goodreads and Bookshop Long Way Down on Goodreads and Bookshop The Belles on Goodreads and Bookshop A Phoenix First Must Burn on Goodreads and Bookshop All American Boys on Goodreads and Bookshop Dear Martin on Goodreads and Bookshop American Street on Goodreads and Bookshop Pride on Goodreads and Bookshop Slay on Goodreads and Bookshop You Should See Me in a Crown on Goodreads and Bookshop Felix Ever After on Goodreads and Bookshop The Wedding Date on Goodreads and Bookshop Riot Baby on Goodreads and Bookshop The Bluest Eye on Goodreads and Bookshop Their Eyes Were Watching God on Goodreads and Bookshop

Tara, Meredith, and Susan dive into an Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. They discuss how an alien invasion could be surprisingly topical, the drawbacks of internet-fame, and if they too would be one of the Dreamers, solving puzzles with the rest of humanity. Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Next Episode’s Book: The Gifted School on Goodreads and Bookshop

Meredith, Tara, and Susan are given a mission: curate a list of books for extraterrestrial life. Each list is surprisingly different and yet they all have something in common. Listen and let us know what novels you would share with ET! Find us on Twitter, Litsy, Instagram, and Goodreads Dreams of Gods and Monsters on Goodreads and Bookshop Frankly in Love on Goodreads and Bookshop Spin the Dawn on Goodreads and Bookshop The Worst Best Man on Goodreads and Bookshop The Hating Game on Goodreads and Bookshop Vicious on Goodreads and Bookshop Pride and Prejudice on Goodreads and Bookshop Atlas Shrugged on Goodreads and Bookshop Frankenstein on Goodreads and Bookshop Homegoing on Goodreads and Bookshop There There on Goodreads and Bookshop Foundation series on Goodreads and Bookshop 1984 on Goodreads and Bookshop Winnie the Pooh on Goodreads and Bookshop Black Beauty on Goodreads and Bookshop Rosie Revere, Engineer on Goodreads and Bookshop Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls on Goodreads and Bookshop Catcher in the Rye on Goodreads and Bookshop Animal Farm on Goodreads and Bookshop