Tag: Best Books

The Unputdownables: Nonfiction

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

I have been in a sort of reading slump, and I asked followers on Instagram to help me find a book of nonfiction that is “unputdownable”. The responses were SO good that I figured I would share them with you here and turn unputdownable books into a series on The Stacks website, featuring the most readable books by genre according to you all. Welcome to The Unputdownables.

To start, I’ll share two or three of my picks that fit the category (in this case nonfiction) and then share whatever you all sent my way. If you want to have your pick included in future editions of The Unputdownables make sure you’re following The Stacks on Instagram.

Ok here are my picks for The Unputdownables Nonfiction!

John Krakauer – I recognize this isn’t a book, but every book by John Krakauer is great, and I have read all of his books. They are so engaging and well researched and deep diving. Plus he covers a huge variety of topics from Fundamental Mormons to campus rape culture to Mount Everest. If you haven’t read his books, they are a must. If I had to pick just one, it would be Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman.
Eiger Dreams | Into the Wild | Into Thin Air | Missoula | Under the Banner of Heaven | Where Men Win Glory

Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres – I rave about this memoir all the time and most people don’t know it, but trust me it is amazing. The book is about Scheeres (who is White) and her adopted brothers (who are Black) and their violent and volatile, religious family.

Columbine by Dave Cullen – Another book that I constantly talk about, and for good reason. In this book, Cullen dives deep into the most infamous American school shooting. His research is impeccable and his story telling is out of this world.

Here are a list of books submitted by you all of your favorite unputdownable non fiction titles. If the book came up multiple times I will note that by placing the number times it came up in parenthesis. If I have read the book, I will note that too, by putting the book in bold. The books are in alphabetical order by title. Ok. here is your list of total bingeable true stories as told to me by YOU.

Thats the list for our first ever Unputdownable round up of nonfiction. You can get any of these books on Amazon or IndieBound. Make sure to share which books you would add to this list in the comments. Stay tuned for the next round of Unputdownables, coming soon.

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thestacks). We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of The Stacks.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.

The Stacks Anniversary Superlatives

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 1 Comment

Its a little bit hard to even believe that one year ago today the first ever episode of The Stacks aired with our guest Dallas Lopez, and now 365 days later we have 62 episodes out in the world. In that time we have discussed 26 books for the The Stacks Book Club, met 33 different guests, had nine Short Stacks, and talked about countless books. But more than any of that, we’ve connected with so many wonderful bookish friends around the world. It has been my greatest pleasure.

In honor of our first trip around the sun, I wanted to share some of my The Stacks superlatives with all of you. While, I have loved every guest and every conversation, here are a handful that have stood out for me.

Listener’s Favorite
Ep. 20 Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates with Jay Connor

Whenever I ask listeners which episode they like most, the most common answer is Between the World and Me with Jay Connor. Jay is the creator and co-host of The Extraordinary Negroes podcast and hearing him discuss Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book is as engaging as it is revelatory. We talk race, parenting, and Coates’ skill as a writer in this fan favorite.

Literary Hero
Ep. 35 Prodigies, Time Machines, & Beautiful Writing with Aja Gabel
Ep. 36 If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim with Aja Gabel

Some people can just talk about books and make the stories come to life, and Aja Gabel is one of those people. The author of The Ensemble came to talk with us about her reading life, and playing the cello, and having a PhD. Then she blew our minds in her thoughtful and insightful reflections of If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim, and it was a dream. Aja is so smart and creative and her understanding of writing and story telling added a true depth to this conversation.

Most Unlikely Pairing
Ep. 22 The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner with Becca Tobin

Becca Tobin is best known for her work on the LadyGang Podcast and playing Kitty Wilde on Glee, and while most people wouldn’t think that she’d even be on a book podcast, here she is talking about women in prison with us as we break down The Mars Room. Here at The Stacks, we like a surprise. Don’t worry she still brings her signature sass and sense of humor, which you can hear even more on her first episode where she talks about life in Hollywood.

Best Laugh
Ep. 9 Talking Books with Vella Lovell

Sometimes you just want to talk books with your gal pals, and this episdoe with Vella Lovell is just that. You may know Vella from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but I know her from our days acting in college, and we have blast talking theatre and Shakespeare. It is a great time.

Best Scammer
Ep. 27 Talking Investigative Journalism with Nancy Rommelmann
Ep. 28 Bad Blood by John Carreyrou with Nancy Rommelmann

I don’t like to brag, but it must be said, The Stacks was ahead of the curve when it came to Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. We were talking about America’s favorite scammer back in August with author and journalist Nancy Rommelmann (To The Bridge). Not only did Nancy break down Bad Blood, the book all about the Theranos scandal, she also talks about her own experiences with serial killers and psychopaths. Both of Nancy’s episodes will excite the true crime lover in you. By the way, if you love Nancy, you should also check out our episode where we break down her book, To The Bridge with journalist Heather John Fogarty.

Most Charming
The Short Stacks 1: Crystal Hana Kim//If You Leave Me

Our first guest for The Short Stacks was author Crystal Hana Kim, and holy cow is she a delightful human. She has the best energy and loves Earl Grey tea as much as I do. Plus, Crystal is a force on the page, her bookIf You Leave Me, is a stunner. The writing is gorgeous and flowing and leaves you gutted. After you listen tell me you don’t want to be BFFs with this badass author.

Book I Want Everyone to Read
The Short Stacks 8: Lacy M. Johnson//The Reckonings

If there is one book I can not stop raving about, it is The Reckonings by Lacy M. Johnson. This collection of essays is powerful and creative and necessary and took my completely by surprise. In order to complete my life’s mission, to get this book in all of your hands, I invited Lacy on the show for one of our Short Stack episodes and she did not disappoint, she was as interesting and smart in conversation as she is on the page.

Person You Most Want to Get a Drink With
Ep. 41 Comedy, Race, Travel, & Books with Tawny Newsome

Tawny Newsome is the best. She is smart, funny, cool, gorgeous, and is the kind of person you just want to be around. Lucky for all of us, we got her on tape, and we can listen to her over and over (and we do). Tawny is a co-host of Yo, Is This Racist? podcast and an actress, and she talks with us about what its like to be the race police, her love of travel and appreciations for lady comedians. But the truth is what makes this episode is just Tawny being Tawny.

Most #BlackGirlMagic
Ep. 33 Book Girl Magic with Renée Hicks
Ep. 34 The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison with Renée Hicks

On her 24 hour stint in Los Angeles, we got to meet up with Renèe Hicks aka Book Girl Magic to talk books and it was, well, magical. Renèe shares her own, relatively recent, journey into reading and about her book club which centers the work of Black women authors. Then for The Stacks Book Club we talk about the great Toni Morrison’s debut, The Bluest Eye. Two truly special episodes with a truly special woman.

Best Book Breakdown
Ep. 48 Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah with Wade Allain-Marcus

Actor and writer Wade Allain-Marcus joined the podcast to discuss perhaps our most challenging read, Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Friday Black is collection of short stories that deal with race and class, gender and capitalism. The book is so smart and layered a ton of it went over my head, and that’s where Wade stepped in to give his insightful analysis. I don’t know what we would have done without him. He gave me, and many listeners a new understanding of Friday Black. It is also worth noting, author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah joined us for The Short Stacks to share his own perspectives on this award winning and thought provoking book.

Most Sentimental
Ep. 1 Talking Books with Dallas Lopez

You can’t have a year anniversary if you never get started, and so this superlative goes to the first ever episode with our guest, and my friend, Dallas Lopez. Dallas, a high school English teacher, joined the show before I ever knew what the show was, and helped shape The Stacks. I would be lost without his ability to talk about books.

I would love to hear what books or episodes stick out for you. Share in the comments below. This list is making me want to go back and listen to every single episode of the podcast. Thank you again and again for being a part of this show and this community. Without all of you, there is no The Stacks.

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thestacks). We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of The Stacks.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.

The 2018 Stacks Book Club Battle of the Books

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 2 Comments

We’re bringing a little friendly competition into The Stacks world as 2018 comes to a close. You get to vote for the winners of this year’s best book from The Stacks Book Club, plus one participant will win one of these books and a tote!

Here is how it works. You go to https://challonge.com/TheStacks2018 or click here. You create your account put your predictions in for who you think will win. Then on The Stacks Instagram Stories, you’ll vote (start 12/20) for your favorite books in head to head battles, until we crown one winner, The Stacks Book Club Book of the Year. The results of each round will be updated over on Challonge (our bracket site) and on our Instagram @thestackspod.

You have until Thursday, December 20th at 9:00am PST to put in your predictions, the person who does the best will win one book from the 19 books in the tournament and a The Stacks Tote bag. We will announce the winner of the tournament and the winner of the giveaway on Monday, December 31st once the results are in.

Some of you might be wondering how the seedings worked out for the tournament, and I’ll be honest, I did a bunch of calculations to rank the books based on a slew of factors The rankings are full of bias, and assumptions, and thats what makes it fun, since ultimately YOU decide the best book. Here is what I looked at to rank these books, and below find a more detailed description of what that means. 

  • Podcast Downloads- Raw number of downloads that episode received according to my data (I know older episodes will be at a disadvantage as the podcast grew over time, but also newer episodes suffer because they haven’t been up as long, I’m hoping it all evens out). It is worth noting that I excluded Open City from this calculation since that episode is not out yet.
  • iTunes Episode Popularity- iTunes lets me see how popular each episode is. Its slight different than raw downloads, because they take into account listeners at the time of recording, but they also only include people listening through iTunes. Again,Open City  was excluded from this category, see above.
  • Goodreads Scores- I just looked up each book on Goodreads and took that score.
  • Goodreads Reviews- I took the raw number of Goodreads reviews for each book.
  • Test of Time- The older a book is, the more credit it got, because it has withstood the test of time. 
  • Social Media Input- I’ve asked you all to tell me your favorite book we read this year on Instagram and Twitter. Those responses are incorporated.
  • Traci’s Personal Ranking- Thats right, I’m influencing this competition a little. Why not?

There are 19 books in the competition, so in each of those categories the books are rated on a scale of 1-19. Each book received a score from each category, 1 being the best, 19 the worst. I then tallied all the scores and divided by 7 (in the case of Open City  only 5). The lower the score, the higher the ranking.

I know that sounds like a lot, but just trust me, it makes sense. Here are the rankings based on these calculations, and their total overall raw scores, remember lower is better. Where there was a tie, I broke the tie.

  • 1 Between the World and Me -5.142
  • 2 Giovanni’s Room – 5.571
  • 3 The Bluest Eye – 5.857
  • 4 Men We Reaped – 6.428
  • 5 Exit West – 6.714
  • 6 Bad Blood – 7.14
  • 7 Year of Yes – 7.714
  • 8 The Mars Room – 9.142
  • 9 If You Leave Me – 9.428
  • 10 Between the World and Me -5.142
  • 11 How Democracies Die – 9.714
  • 12 Less – 10
  • 13 Open City – 11
  • 14 Reincarnation Blues – 12.428
  • 15 Vulgar Favors – 12.571
  • 16 How Soccer Explains the World – 12.714
  • 17 To the Bridge – 13.428
  • 18 New Boy – 13.428
  • 19 Motherhood – 14.57

Voting begins Thursday December 20th, shortly after 9:00am PST for the first round, and will follow the schedule below. Remember you vote in The Stacks Instagram stories. You just click your favorite book in each round’s head to head matchup. Once the results are in, I’ll share the winners with you and we get ready for the next round. The schedule is below.

Round 1 – December 20th – Play In Games

Round 2 – December 23rd – Sweet Sixteen 16

Round 3 – December 26th – Elite 8

Round 4 – December 28th – Final 4

Round 5 – December 30th – Championship

That feels like a lot, trust me, it’ll be fun and worth it. Here is the important stuff.

  1. Make sure you’re following The Stacks on Instagram @thestackspod.
  2. Register for the bracket if you want to be part of the giveaway CLICK HERE
  3. Vote in each round on our Insta Stories,  starting Thursday December 20th.
  4. Spread the word!

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of this show. If you prefer to do a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. Shopping through these links helps support the show, but does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.