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.

The Stacks Book Club – July 2023

The Stacks’ July book club selection is the Hugo Award-winning Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. Widely considered the greatest graphic novel ever made, the full volume was first released in 1987; it has since been adapted into the 2009 theatrical film and the 2019 HBO limited series. The story is set in an alternate reality version of 1980s America, with historical and political events affected by its cast of outlawed vigilantes, who mostly lack superhuman powers and struggle with their own tragic flaws. Its title refers to the question “Who will watch the watchmen themselves?”

We will discuss Watchmen By Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons on Wednesday, July 26th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our July 5th 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 Rep Club offers you 10% off your copy of Watchmen via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout!
(You can still find our July 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. 273 Oreo by Fran Ross — The Stacks Book Club (Hannah Oliver Depp)

Loyalty Bookstores owner Hannah Oliver Depp returns to discuss our June book club pick Oreo by Fran Ross. We talk about the history and context of this 1974 satire, including the story of Fran Ross herself. We wonder how to categorize this novel about a Black and Jewish teenaged girl who finds her self in man precarious situations, and we ask what to make of a book that pokes fun at just about everyone.
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 July 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 Hannah: Instagram | Twitter | Loyalty Bookstores 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 – June 2023

The Stacks’ June book club selection is Oreo by Fran Ross. First released in 1974, it’s a satirical take on one Philadelphia woman’s quest of self-discovery. Raised by her grandparents, born of a Black mother, and spurred on by a mysterious note, Oreo navigates the brothels, subways and studios of Manhattan to seek her long-lost Jewish father. The book is a parody of the Theseus odyssey with a modern feminist twist. Steeped in seventies pop culture, it makes use of standard English, Yiddish and black vernacular in what author Paul Auster called “a rollicking little masterpiece.” Fran Ross was born in 1935 in Philly and wrote comedy for Richard Pryor; her articles appeared in magazines including Essence and Playboy. Oreo is widely considered ahead of its time and was Ross’ only novel before her death in 1985.

We will discuss Oreo by Fran Ross on Wednesday, June 28th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our June 7th 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.

Order your copy of our June book on Bookshop.org and 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. 269 This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris — The Stacks Book Club (Nicole Chung)

Author Nicole Chung returns to discuss our May book club selection This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris. We discuss the importance of specificity in memoir, and how much likability and reliability matter. We also talk about where this book shines and where it falls short.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our book club pick will be for June 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 Nicole: 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 – May 2023

Our May book club selection is This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris. It is the debut memoir from Harris, a mother of three in Charlottesville, Virginia whose writing has appeared in many publications, including O Quarterly, Time, Longreads, Parents and The Washington Post. The book is a moving examination of Black motherhood against the odds of generalized anxiety, mystery illness and our flawed, hostile health and education systems. The author recounts her life-changing experience and relentless search for truth and answers with the help of Google, perseverance and lots of prayer. This Boy We Made was released in 2022 and was a finalist for the 2023 Southern Book Prize.

We will discuss This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris on Wednesday, May 31st. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our May 3rd 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.

Order your copy of our May book on Bookshop.org and 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.