Tag: Giveaway

The 2020 Stacks Book Club Battle of the Books

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

Its back! The 3rd Annual The Stacks Book Club Battle of the Books!

We did it in 2018 and 2019 and honestly, its the best tradition and I hope you’re all as thrilled for round three as I am.

To refresh your memory, The Battle of The Books is a March Madness style bracket where you vote to pick the book club book of the year. You also get a chance to win one of TSBC books by predicting the most accurate bracket over on https://challonge.com/thestacks2020 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 (starting 12/22) 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 Tuesday, December 22nd at 8:00am PST to put in your predictions. The winner will be whoever has the most accurate bracket, and they will win one of our TSBC books from 2020 (winner’s choice). We will announce the winner of the tournament and the winner of the giveaway on Thursday, December 31st once all the results are in.

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 Tuesday December 22nd . All voting on Instagram!
  4. Spread the word!

If you want all the nerdy details of how the seeding was figure out, you’ve come to the right place. Mostly I created a bunch of my own calculations to rank the books based on many factors. The rankings are full of biases and assumptions, and honestly, thats what makes this fun. You all ultimately get to vote, which means you get to decide. Here is how I ranked 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 Citizen: An American Lyric  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, Citizen: An American Lyric was excluded from this category, see above.
  • Goodreads Scores– I 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 The Stacks Instagram followers to tell me their favorite book we read this year, and those responses are incorporated.
  • Traci’s Personal Ranking– Thats right, I’m influencing this competition a little. Its my podcast, so why not?

There are 16 books in the competition, so in each of those categories the books are rated on a scale of 1-16. Each book received a score from each category, 1 being the best, 16 the worst. I then tallied all the scores and divided by 7 (in the case of Citizen: An American Lyric 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. The Autobiography of Malcolm X – 3.28
  2. Sula – 3.85
  3. The Giver – 5.14
  4. Citizen 5.8
  5. The Undocumented Americans – 6.14
  6. Breathe – 6.57
  7. Sister Outsider – 7.57
  8. Trick Mirror – 7.71
  9. The Hating Game – 8.71
  10. Trust Exercise – 9.71
  11. Savage Appetites -9.85
  12. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed – 10.14
  13. Three Women 10.28
  14. The Butterfly Effect – 11.14
  15. Cribsheet – 11.28
  16. Number One Chinese Restaurant – 12.28

Voting begins Tuesday December 22nd, shortly after 8:00am PST for the first round, and will follow the schedule below. Remember you vote on 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 22nd – Sweet Sixteen 16

Round 2 – December 26th – Elite 8

Round 3 – December 28th – Final 4

Round 4 – 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 Tuesday December 22.
  4. Spread the word!

For those of you curious who won in previous years, 2018 was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and 2019 was Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson. Who will ascend the throne in 2020?

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. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.

Holiday Book Drive and Giveaway

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 4 Comments

This year to spread good (reading) cheer, we’re hosting a Book Drive with 15 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS. Our goal is to give every student at Rocketship Delta Prep, a low income school in Northern California, their very own book to take home as a gift for Winter Break!

WHAT: The Stacks Book Drive
WHEN: November 30-December 14th
HOW: Donate a book through this link and send a screenshot of your receipt via Instagram, Twitter, or Email. For every book you donate you’re entered to win for all 15 days of giveaways.
PRIZES: We will be giving away at least one prize every day from December 1-15, and once you donate, you’re entered to win!


To participate, no further questions asked, CLICK HERE!

Otherwise, here are some FAQs to give you more info on this book drive!

What is this book drive all about?

Rocketship Delta Prep is a public school in Antioch, CA*. The school serves children from TK (transitional Kindergarten) through 5th grade. The school is 95% Black and Brown students and 85% of them come from low income families. Up to 10% of the families are what the school calls “doubled up” meaning they share housing because of income.

I found out, that most of the books the students use in the classroom are stapled together copies of books, and that just bummed me out, so I thought we could help out!

The goal is to give 489 Books to the students of Rocketship Delta Prep so that every single student leaves campus for winter break with their own copy of a book!

*In the interest of full disclosure, I’m friends with a Kindergarten teacher at this school.

How do I participate?

I reached out to the school and asked all the teachers to put together a list of books that the students would be excited to receive. They sent a fantastic list of books by diverse authors covering a range of grade levels and experiences.

Click Here to see the full list and pick whichever book(s) you want to send.

All we need to do is buy these books so that every student gets to leave school on Decemeber 20th for Winter Break with their own copy of a book. Its a small gesture, that I think will go a long way to foster their love of reading, and to let the students know, we’re thinking of them!

So, what is the giveaway part of this whole thing?

I’ve enlisted the help of a whole slew of publishers, authors, podcasters and MORE to give us fun goodies and gifts as part of 15 Days of Giveaways! I will share the prizes everyday on The Stacks Instagram page and will draw winners daily! There are a ton of awesome prizes and so many opportunities for you to win, its basically a bookish advent calendar!

How do I make sure I’m entered to win?

You share a screenshot of your purchase receipt with me. You can share it in your Instagram stories (tag @thestackspod), DM on Instagram or Twitter, or send an email). Once you’ve sent that receipt, you’re added to the giveaway list and will be entered for every giveaway from that day forward.
(If your social media accounts are private please make sure to send a DM or email)

What are the dates of the book drive and giveaway?

It all starts Saturday November 30th, and the first prize will be announced on Sunday December 1st. The last day to donate is December 14th and we’ll announce the last gift on the 15th.

The last day of class is December 20th and want to make sure all the books arrive on campus for the last day of classes.

Wait, so how do I know what books to give?

You go to our Amazon Wishlist. Its very easy, buy a book (or 10) and it will ship to the address of the school automatically.

Where do I send the books?

The address for Rocketship Delta Prep is in the Amazon Wishlist. Just double check that you scroll down to put their address in case your settings automatically have items shipped to your home.

How many books are we donating?

Our goal is 489, thats one book for every student and a few extra for the school’s lending library! I think we can do it!

What if we hit our goal of 489 books?

Thats a great question, and don’t worry, I have a back up plan in case we want to go way above and beyond.

If I win a prize can I win again?

No, we want as many winners are possible, so once you win a prize, you’ll be removed from the list.

What if I don’t want to shop on Amazon?

I totally understand, however for this giveaway the best way to track the book donations and make sure that every student gets a book is to keep the list centralized.

What if I want to give a different book?

You are more than welcome to donate a book to the school to go into their lending library, however for this giveaway, only the books on the approved list from the teachers will count toward the giveaway.

What if I have more questions that you haven’t answered yet?

You can always email thestackswithtraci@gmail.com or slide into The Stacks’ DMs on any of our social media platforms.

Traci, is there anything else YOU want to say?

Yes! THANK YOU! I am always blown away by the generosity of The Stacks community to help those who don’t always have access to books. I want to say thank you in advance for making a book drive like this possible. Also, thanks for reading this far down, I know this is a long post.

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 Giveaway and Book Drive

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 2 Comments
Prisoners Literature Project’s Wishlist | The Free Black Women’s Library Wishlist

To celebrate one year of The Stacks on #bookstagram, I wanted to do a giveaway for you, and a book drive for those in need of some good reading.

I have picked two organizations, Prisoners Literature Project and The Free Black Women’s Library Los Angeles.

To enter the giveaway here is what you need to do:

  1. Follow @thestackspod on Instagram
  2. Donate a book through these links: PLP Wishlist or FBWL-LA Wishlist
  3. Comment with the title of the book you donated
  4. Share your receipt in your Instagram stories and tag @thestackspod. If your account is private please DM @thestackspod.
  5. Every book you donate is an entry.

It is super simple, will make you feel good, and you’re entered to win:

  1. A copy of Parkland by Dave Cullen– one of The Stacks most anticipated reads of 2019
  2. A copy of the new UK edition (with new forward) of Columbine by Dave Cullen as gifted by the author.
  3. A book of your choosing by a Black author– in honor of Black History Month
  4. The Stacks Tote Bag
  5. The Stacks Bookmarks

So head over to The Stacks Instagram page and enter.

Giveaway closes February 21, 2019 at 11:59pm PST. Must be at least 18 years of age. Not affiliated with any organizations, publishers, authors, or websites.

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 in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect opinions on books and products. 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.

The Stacks Tote Giveaway

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 2 Comments

We’re giving away three of our brand new The Stacks tote bags. All you have to do to enter is become a member of The Stacks Pack, aka contribute to The Stacks on Patreon.

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Patreon is a website that allows for artists to reach out to their communities for financial support in exchange for access and perks for their patrons. Here at The Stacks we offer perks ranging from social media shout outs to helping us pick our upcoming book club books, from adding questions to the questionnaire we give every guests to now, a chance at winning our awesome new tote!

To enter, all you have to do is go to www.patreon.com/thestacks and contribute what you can. Once you do that, you’re entered to win. We will pick three winners on August 16, 2018. Its that simple.

Thank you as always for your support of The Stacks. It means more than you could know.