The Stacks (2025)

13/05/2021

How the Word is Passed||Clint Smith
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[thank you to for sending this ARC to review]
A look into how America teaches and talks about slavery. Smith travels to different sites touched by the enslavement of Black people in America and asks questions to understand how this legacy is being dealt with (or not). There is a lot to unpack and uncover throughout the reading of HOW THE WORD IS PASSED, there is so much to learn. There is so much we’ll never know.
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Clint Smith has created a book that is really special. As I read, I kept thinking that perhaps this book is what is possible when we think about “a living history”. HOW THE WORD IS PASSED is mostly history but it incorporates reactions to that history from folks in this moment and from Smith himself. The way Smith made space for the history and the interpretations of that history is so well executed and so necessary. I don’t know what else to say, but that this book is special and I think you should read it.
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There is so much about the experiences of the people who were enslaved, in order to create wealth and stability in The United States, that we will never know. The inhumanity and cruelty of it all is often too much for me to begin to comprehend. It makes me feel a pure and true rage and at the same time a deep sense of grief. The people forced into slavery were my people, my ancestors, and I may never know their names. This book makes space for all of those feelings that came up. Instead of shutting down, this book made me want to think more deeply about what has been lost and what can be found. I am grateful to Smith for making that space.
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Is this book on your radar? It should be. It’s out June 1.
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05/05/2021

I’m thrilled to welcome Jenny Lee () author of one of my favorite books of 2020 ANNA K and this year’s sequel ANNA K AWAY to the podcast. We talk about writing in the pandemic, adapting a classic, and what happens when the source material runs out.
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This also means Jenny is our guest on May 26th when we discuss ANNA KARENINA, which should be even more incentive for you to get to reading!
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What’s one classic you’d like to see adapted into modern day novel?
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The episode is up now. Link in bio or search “The Stacks” wherever you get your podcasts.
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01/05/2021

MAY BOOK CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT
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I know you already know pick for May is ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy. I’m just here to remind you in case you forgot or in case you need a nudge to pick it (back) up. We’ll discuss the book on Wednesday May 26th and you can find out the guest by tuning in on Wednesday.
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To help you on your way, here are some tricks I learned in my reading.
1. I read it in 20 days which was 41 pages a day on average and was very doable.
2. Some parts are boring, power through.
3. If you start today you only have to read 31 pages a day to finish in time for the May 26th episode.
4. You might want to read the book on an e-reader or via audio to give your wrist a break.
5. You’ve got this! You’re not alone!
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So, tell me, how’s reading ANNA KARENINA going for you? What page are you on? Have you started? Have you finished?
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30/04/2021

I’m two of the best things I’ve read in a while and I couldn’t be happier. What is better than being neck deep in a great book? I’ll wait.
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I can barely contain my excitement about EMPIRE OF PAIN. I’m telling everyone I know who has ever read a book to pick it up. It is BAD BLOOD but better and with generations of scammers who actually succeeded in doing the terrible things. Not to mention, is a real fu***ng writer. The storytelling is top notch. Y’all go read this book.
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COUNTING DESCENT is my kind of poetry. I get it. It’s making me think without making me feel like a full on moron. Not to mention, has a nonfiction book coming in June called HOW THE WORD IS PASSED. This collection has me hyped to read the new prose. Y’all should 100% join .
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Please tell me the last really great book you read.
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29/04/2021

Coriolanus||William Shakespeare
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What happens when an unqualified celebrity who loathes the working class runs for major public office? How do the people respond? How do the representatives of the people respond! How do the the other politicians respond? Sound at all familiar?
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I couldn’t help but read this play through the lens of the last President and his administration. The elite’s disdain for the common man is the central argument of this play. What are the people owed by their government? I really liked the speeches that leaned into this conversation. Shakespeare complicates it all when the men put in place to protect the people are acting in their own personal best interests and not for the greater good. It’s a mess, and that feels spot on.
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Also, Coriolanus has some very interesting ho******ic undertones that I didn’t pick up on in a production I saw but were calling out to me in my reading. That’s directorial discretion when it comes to producing Shakespeare. Those choices fascinate me.
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Have you read or seen CORIOLANUS, what did you think?
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Next up for me in is PERICLES. I’m so close to the end.
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28/04/2021

It’s day and we’ve got a special episode all about poetry. We read THE TRADITION by Jericho Brown with poet, lawyer, and activist Reginald Dwayne Betts (). Dwayne is also the founder of Million Book Project, the organization we’re raising $50K for this month. Have you donated yet?
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In addition to dissecting some poems from this winning collection we also talk about poetry in pop culture, reading poems aloud, and how we can interpret the same poem in completely different ways.
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What was your standout poem in this collection?
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The episode is up now wherever you get your podcasts or use the link in bio. Thank you for listening!
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27/04/2021

It’s the last pub day of April! Since I forgot to do posts the rest of the month I’m giving you a roundup of some of the books that came out this month. I’m also wishing an extra special book birthday to and because their books are out today. Stay tuned my review of ANNA K AWAY is coming soon.
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What April release are you most excited about?
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25/04/2021

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev||Dawnie Walton
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A fictionalized oral history of a rock duo who rose to fame in the 1970’s in the aftermath of a violent tragedy. This book is a joy to read even as it navigates issues of racism, sexism, capitalism and betrayal. A celebration of performance and Black women as the creators of culture and leaders of social consciousness. Unique and refreshing, a real treat of a reading experience.
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I love oral history as a form but wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it used in fiction. Walton’s ability to tap into her characters unique voices made the book feel real. The use of language felt authentic and the ways she folded people from pop culture into the narrative helped to make the book feel rooted. Walton did a superb job of bringing in history. I loved the Easter eggs and the nods to moments and movements on civil rights and music history. So well executed.
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I would’ve liked less “editor notes” throughout the book. That felt like a literary tool and not true to the form. Oral histories don’t tend to insert the editor into the story/throughout the text as much and it took me out of the book. I understood why we wanted to hear from the editor character, but would’ve loved a more creative way to insert her without leaning on that crutch.
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Have you read this book? Who is your favorite Black woman in rock n’ roll? Mine is Tina Turner. This record in the picture is from my dad’s extensive collection.
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Thank you to for sending over a copy of OPAL & NEV as part of their new book club. Also shout out to for saying I needed to read this book because she was right! If you’ve read and loved this book I’ve got two books you should pair with it on my column over on . Check it out.
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24/04/2021

Happy Independent Bookstore Day!
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I love any opportunity to celebrate bookstores and booksellers. Books have and continue to change my life, and bookstores have always been my way in. Grateful doesn’t begin to explain it. I can not tell you how many books I’ve purchased and loved based solely off a bookseller recommendation.
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This photo is from a 2017 trip to bookstore in Portugal. It was as cool as it looks. This photo was taken before was an idea I had, but it’s still very on brand. What can I say, I love bring in the stacks.
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Let’s show the people in the bookstores some love. Tell me in the comments one book you bought and loved based off a booksellers rec.
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Last thing, is giving anyone who spends $15 or more at an independent bookstore (in person or online) between April 24-26 a free audiobook. Yes you can even use to make your purchase. More info on their page, check it out.
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23/04/2021

It’s column day. The 2nd to last week of each month my column goes live (Still can’t believe these people gave me a column).
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I’m back giving you backlist pairings to go along with new releases. This month’s focus is on
THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL AND NEV by Dawnie Walton
FROM A TALLER TOWER by Seamus McGraw
BIRD UNCAGED by Marlon Peterson
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What’s a book you might pair with one of these three books?
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Also, worth noting, I’ll be picking books each month that were published since the release of the last column, so that means the pub date might be from the previous month (i.e. Opal & Nev). If you’re a rules person like me, you care about these details, if not, nothing to see here.
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You can find the column on or through the link in bio.
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The Stacks

13/05/2021

05/05/2021

01/05/2021

30/04/2021

29/04/2021

28/04/2021

27/04/2021

25/04/2021

24/04/2021

23/04/2021

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