The Stacks Book Club – December 2023

This month’s Stacks Book Club selection is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Its the story of star-crossed lovers who fall in love despite the years long grudge of their families. Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays from the time of its writing until the present day. Its universal themes of young love, family feuds and hate have persisted through the ages, and make it ripe for a book club discussion. So dust of your copy from high school, or snag a new one and read our final book club pick of the year with us.

We will discuss Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare on Wednesday, December 27th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our December 6th episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.

LA’s indie bookstore Reparations Club offers you 10% off your copy of Romeo and Juliet via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout! (Or get your copy of our December book on Bookshop.org or Amazon).


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. For more information click here.

Ep. 295 Severance by Ling Ma — The Stacks Book Club (Mitchell S. Jackson)

Author Mitchell S. Jackson returns for our book club discussion of Ling Ma’s post-apocalyptic novel Severance. On this episode we try to piece together the story’s timeline, unpack the ending, and we cast the TV show adaptation. We also discuss quote marks, capitalism, and the role of religion throughout the novel.
There are spoilers on this episode.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our December book club pick will be.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Connect with Mitchell: Instagram | Twitter | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with 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.

The Stacks Book Club — November 2023

This month’s Stacks Book Club selection is Severance, a novel by Ling Ma. Part post-apocalyptic horror, part office satire – and a biting indictment of late-stage capitalism – it tracks millennial Candace Chen through the outbreak and aftermath of a fever which leaves most Americans dead. Carrying a dangerous secret of her own, a conflicted Candace joins a group of survivors intent on rebuilding society from the ground up. The book is a hilarious, deadpan coming-of-age tale and a poignant family story. Severance is the author’s first novel; it won a 2018 Kirkus Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2018, and was shortlisted for the 2019 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.

We will discuss Severance by Ling Ma on Wednesday, November 29th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our November 1st episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.

LA’s indie bookstore Reparations Club offers you 10% off your copy of Severance via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout! (Or get your copy of our November book on Bookshop.org or Amazon.)


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. For more information click here.

Ep. 290 Tar Baby by Toni Morrison — The Stacks Book Club (Minda Honey)

It’s time for our annual Toni Morrison read for The Stacks Book Club! Author, Minda Honey is back to discuss Tar Baby, a novel about colorism, the class divide and gender roles. We dig into the book’s title, unpack the ending and question who we were rooting for throughout the book.
There are spoilers on today’s episode.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our November book club pick will be.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Connect with Minda: Instagram | Twitter | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with 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.

The Stacks Book Club – October 2023

It’s that time again for our annual Toni Morrison read, and this year we’ve selected Tar Baby, a beautiful and gutting love story originally published in 1981. It tells the story of Black fashion model Jadine Childs, the protege of a rich, white couple in the Caribbean whose polished veneer is upended one evening by a hungry Black intruder named Son. Jadine and Son are soon drawn together in a whirlwind affair that takes them from Florida to New York and back to the island as they grapple with the cultural differences, fears and prejudices that threaten their bond. The book is a riveting and suspenseful, poetic, tragicomic story about the many complex dynamics across and within racial boundaries.

We will discuss Tar Baby by Toni Morrison on Wednesday, October 25th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our October 4th episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.

LA’s indie bookstore Reparations Club offers you 10% off your copy of Tar Baby via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout!
(Or get your copy of our October book on Bookshop.org or Amazon.)


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. For more information click here.

Ep. 286 Monsters by Claire Dederer — The Stacks Book Club (Brittany Luse)

We’re thrilled to welcome back podcaster Brittany Luse to discuss Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer for The Stacks Book Club. We discuss how race does and doesn’t show up in the book, and what worked for us versus what didn’t. We also consider the nature of punishment and redemption when it comes to monstrous celebrities, and ask whose genius we miss out on when we make space for the monsters.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our book club pick will be for October 2023.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Connect with Brittany: Instagram | Twitter | It’s Been a Minute
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with 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.

The Stacks Book Club – September 2023

The Stacks’ September book club selection is Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer. Called “part memoir, part treatise, and all treat” by The New York Times, it expands upon the author’s 2017 viral Paris Review essay “What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?” The book examines the age-old question of separating the art from the artist and asks us to look at what matters to us and why. It’s a passionate, personal and provocative interrogation of creative genius and its connection to monstrous human behavior, leading us to weigh moral outrage against undeniable cultural icons from Sylvia Plath and Michael Jackson to Picasso and Polanski. This book is sure to spark intense conversation and debate.

We will discuss Monsters by Claire Dederer on Wednesday, September 27th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our September 6th episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.

LA’s indie bookstore Reparations Club offers you 10% off your copy of Monsters via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout!
(Or get your copy of our September book on Bookshop.org or Amazon.)


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. For more information click here.

Ep. 282 You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi — The Stacks Book Club (Sam Sanders)

Podcaster and journalist Sam Sanders returns to discuss You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi for The Stacks Book Club. In our conversation of this romance novel, we wonder if the book actually qualifies as such under the rules of romance novels. We also discuss how the story feels like real life because it mirrors the messiness of actual love stories, who we are rooting for, and we brainstorm casts for the upcoming screen adaptation.
There are spoilers on today’s episode.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our book club pick will be for September 2023.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Connect with Sam: Instagram | Twitter | Into It | Vibe Check Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with 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.

The Stacks Book Club – August 2023

The Stacks’ August book club selection is You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, a Nigerian author with a fresh take on the romance novel. The book follows as Feyi Adekola re-enters the dating world after losing her husband in a car accident five years ago. Torn between the past and future and searching for answers and a second chance at love, Feyi finds exciting new prospects which are complicated beyond her wildest dreams. You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a messy and deeply alive novel about second chances and putting yourself first. The book was a 2023 NAACP Image Award nominee; set to be adapted to the screen by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society.

We will discuss You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi on Wednesday, August 30th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our August 2nd episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.

Get your copy of our August book on Bookshop.org or Amazon.


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. For more information click here.

Ep. 277 Watchmen by Alan Moore — The Stacks Book Club (Joel Christian Gill)

Cartoonist and author Joel Christian Gill returns for book club day to discuss the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. We dissect this 12 part comic and learn about the thematic and formal elements in play. We also talk about the role of God, Batman, and women in the book, and finally Joel shares why Watchmen is considered to be the greatest comic of all time? 
There are spoilers in this episode.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our book club pick will be for August 2023.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Connect with Joel: Instagram | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with 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.