The Stacks

This week on The Stacks Book Club, journalist and author Nancy Rommelmann is back to discuss Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou. We talk about the mind blowing story of biotech startup Theranos, and its founder Elizabeth Holmes. We talk about psychopaths, whistle blowers, and of course, this unbelievable story of abuse and fraud. There are spoilers this week, however the book is based on current events and we do not discuss anything that isn't out in...

This week we are joined by author and journalist, Nancy Rommelmann. Nancy talks to us about her newest book To The Bridge: A True Story of Motherhood and Murder, her process as an investigative journalist, and about the time she traveled to see John Wayne Gacy on death row. You can find everything we talk about this week in the show notes below. By shopping through the links you help support The Stacks, at no cost to you. Shop on Amazon and iTunes. BOOKS To the Bridge by Nancy Rommelmann All...

We are thrilled to discuss this year's Pulitzer Price winner for fiction, Less by Andrew Sean Greer, for The Stacks Book Club this week. We are joined by guest, Zeke Smith. Zeke is known for his time as a contestant on Survivor (Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, Survivor: Game Changers, CBS), and for his work as a writer and trans activist. Less tells the story of Arthur Less, a struggling novelist who decides to travel the world instead of subjecting himself to being a guest at his ex...

Today on The Stacks we are joined by Zeke Smith. Zeke is a writer and trans activist who you may know best from his seasons on Survivor (Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, Survivor: Game Changers). This week we talk reality TV fame, self-identification, and Zeke's favorite genre of books (hint: its not wha you think). You can find everything we talk about this week in the show notes below. By shopping through the links you help support The Stacks, at no cost to you. Shop on Amazon and iTunes....

Its time for another episode of The Stacks Book Club, and this week we are discussing Motherhood by Sheila Heti. We are joined again by author Jo Piazza (Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, How to Be Married) to discuss Motherhood, a book about one woman's meditation on weather or not to have children. The book is written in a unique style and falls into the genre of biographical fiction. There are no spoilers on this episode. You can find everything we talk about this week in the show notes...

This week on the show, we have author and journalist Jo Piazza as our guest. Jo's most recent release isCharlotte Walsh Likes to Win, a novel about a woman running for senate in the 2018 midterm elections. It is very of the moment, and is the Marie Claire Book Club pick for September. Jo talks to us about her time as a journalist, challenges women face in running for office, and why she likes reading books that aren't new releases. You can find everything we talk about this week in the show...

Becca Tobin (Glee, Lady Gang) is back for The Stacks Book Club, and we're discussing Rachel Kushner's newest book The Mars Room. This gritty novel tells the story of Romy, a young mother who has been incarcerated for two life sentences. We see Romy in her life leading to prison and the world behind bars with thousands of other women struggling to survive. There are spoilers this week, so please listen at your own risk. We cover a lot of topics, and you can find links to everything in the...

Our guest this week is Becca Tobin. Becca is most well known as an actress and a co-host of the podcast, Lady Gang. Today we walk about Becca's podcast becoming a TV show, how reading helped her deal with grief, and her love of fiction that feels a little like a rom-com. We cover a lot of topics this week, and its all in the show notes below. Use the links below when you shop on Amazon and iTunes to help support The Stacks. BOOKS Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss Proof of Heaven by...

We're thrilled to have writer and host of The Extraordinary Negroes Podcast, Jay Connor, back with us this week for The Stacks Book Club, discussing Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This episode is spent talking about the three major themes from the book: race, violence, and the Black body, and how those themes are ever present in American society. There are no spoilers this week. We cover a lot of topics, and you can find links to everything below, in the show notes. Use the...

This week our guest is Jay Connor. Jay is a writer, and the creator and co-host of The Extraordinary Negroes podcast. Jay discuss his winding life path through many cities and many careers. We also talk about what books Jay is into and what writers he admires. We cover a lot of topics this week, and its all in the show notes below. Use the links below when you shop on Amazon and iTunes to help support The Stacks. BOOKS Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Black Panther: A Nation...

Stylist and CEO Ashley North is back this week for The Stacks Book Club and our discussion of Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. The book is Rhimes' memoir on the year she decided to say yes to everything and use the power of yes to change her life. The book brings up topics surrounding the desire to be professionally successful and personally fulfilled. We talk about motherhood as a "job", the myth of doing it all, and if we would ever do our own Year of Yes. We talk in detail about the book,...

Our guest this week is celebrity stylist, TV personality, and CEO of her own lifestyle brand, Ashley North. Ashley is most well known for being Kevin Hart's stylist and now she's sitting down with The Stacks to discuss reading. She talks about the not so glamorous parts of being a stylist, her daughters' love of books, and diversity in school reading curriculum. We cover a lot of topics this week, and its all down there in the show notes. Use the links below when you shop on Amazon and...

This week Lauren Fanella is here for The Stacks Book Club. We're talking about Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore. In the book, Milo, a human who has been reincarnated almost 10,000 times, is on a quest for perfection and everlasting life. The book touches on a lot of social justice issues, Love, and of course Death. We talk about these themes, who we would cast in the TV show, and more. There are spoilers this week, if you plan on reading this book, wait to listen to the episode until...

This week our guest is Lauren Fanella, Lauren is a book reader and reviewer on #bookstagram, you might know her as @literarylauren_. Lauren is a lover of books by and about unconventional women, she reads for joy, and she's not scared of a big sad book. We talk about Lauren's reading habits, what books she's looking forward to reading, and how books help her to see the world differently. Here are links to all the things we dicsussed this week on the show. BOOKS Medical Apartheid by Harriet...

This week, author Ross Asdourian is back to discuss our The Stacks Book Club book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. We talk about how habits work, the habits we want to change, and we look at two current political movements as habit formers in the community. While we do discuss many examples from the book in this episode, we don't really spoil anything, as this is a non-fiction book without any plot twists or turns. So feel free to enjoy it,...

We’re excited to welcome Ross Asdourian to our show this week. Ross is the debut author of a hilarious memoir, Broken Bananah: Life, Love, and Sex…Without a Penis, the story of that one time he broke his penis. We don’t just talk about Ross’ unmentionables, we also talk about the process of writing your own book, self-publishing, and more. Of course Ross is also answering all of your favorite The Stacks questions. You can find a list of all the things we discuss this week right here. BOOKS...

This week Aaron Dolores, founder of Black Arrow FC is back and we're discussing How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer. This book takes a look at the world's most popular sport, and how changes in the social and political landscapes are mirrored on the pitch. With The World Cup in full swing, we discuss racism in soccer, we hypothesize as to why Americans aren't that into the sport, and we encourage you to pick a team and start rooting. There are...

This week we're joined by Aaron Dolores, founder of Black Arrow FC, a lifestyle brand that focuses on the intersection of soccer and Black culture. The World Cup starts tomorrow, so we're talking about Soccer and how it relates to the Black experience. We also discuss story telling in the Black community, when reading doesn't come so easily, and how challenges in your reading life can effect your relationship to books. Check out everything we discuss right here in the show notes. BOOKS Roots...

This week, actress Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex- Girlfriend, The Big Sick) is back on The Stacks. This week we're talking about New Boy by Tracy Chevalier. New Boy is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, in which modern day authors retell Shakespeare's classic works. New Boy is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, set in a 1970's elementary school in Washington D.C. We talk about this book in comparison to its source material, where Chevalier's book wins and where it misses. Just...

Actress Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex- Girlfriend, The Big Sick) joins us this week to nerd out on books. Vella talks about reading as an actor, examining scripts for clues to her character's inner workings, and being a good scene partner. Vella also talks about trusting Oprah's Book Club recommendations and her love of self help books, especially as a spiritual guide for working actors. We also talk about why it doesn't matter how you read, it just matters that you pick up a book and get started....