The final episode of season 2! Thank you all for the journey of this season and I look forward to what comes next!
In episode 11 of season 2 (say what?!?!?!?!) I am talking about a very sweet wonderful YA book called The Passing Playbook. It gives MAJOR Heartstopper vibes so if you need something to tide you over between your latest rewatch of season 1 and the beginning of season 2 (which is soon...right? RIGHT?) read this book! It is worth every single moment!
The Book:
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
In this episode I finally have a full length pure review up! I am absolutely gushing about a new fave called Legends & Lattes and how much joy it brought me, how I can't stop thinking about it and how I want to buy a physical copy so I can reread it in every form. I hope you enjoy!
The Book:
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree
In this episode I ramble a bit about March reads, April plans and year type goals. Also talk a bit about my plans for the new name reveal always assuming that I can actually change the name of the pod as easily as promised. Head over to the Instagram page, @smalltownsarapod, to vote on the new name or offer suggestions if you hate what I picked out!
The books I mentioned were:
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
American Predator by Maureen Callahan
In this episode I talk about The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize longlist journey that I have been on and what a delight it has been!
The Books I Talked About that I Read:
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
The Sign for Home by Blair Fell
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Nightcrawling by Lelia Mottley
Nobody's Magic by Destiny O. Birdsong
Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson
Currently Reading Book:
If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga
Books I Own but Haven't Read Yet:
Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde
Lungfish by Meghan Gilliss
When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Ashgar
What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris
Sorry for this late episode friends. I totally forgot what days were so here we are! I'm talking about some changes coming up for me and the podcast in this one so while it's short you definitely don't want to miss it! Enjoy!
The book I talked about was:
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
In this episode I am not talking about a memoir effectively breaking my streak of talking about memoirs. But I am talking about a really fun book that I ADORED and some really fun things coming up for those that participate on Instagram. The Trans read-a-thon is the 20th-27th of March where you want to try and read as many trans, non-binary and gender queer authors and stories as possible. It's gonna be amazing! Hope you enjoy!
The Book I Talked About
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
In this episode I'm talking about another memoir that really meant a lot to me. I also talk about how tired I am because I'm waking up early to exercise these days and my body is like "who even are you?" I talk about some things from my past and how uncertain I am feeling these days. And I've decided to keep up the trend and share my plans for the rest of my Memoir March month. Enjoy!
The Books I Talked About:
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
In this episode I am announcing some big life changes and talking about one of my favorite books from 2019. A very moving memoir that helped not only get me out of my reading slump but my life slump as well. Please forgive the audio issues I am a one woman band and am still learning how best to record things in my new environment. Also there is a oopsie in the episode where I say "I am not in as dark a place as when I first moved here in 2019." But I was leaving NY in 2019 and meant to say moved to California in 2019. I promise all this will make sense once you listen!
The book I talked about is:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
A little under the weather and hectic life stuff has led to not being able to record a full episode so please enjoy this mini episode recorded just now!
In episode 2 of season 2 and my first interview of the season I am interviewing bookstagrammer extrodinaire and good friend Casey of @caseyreads. We talk books and bookstagram, finding her sexuality, and growing as people with the help of social media. It's a great conversation and one that means a lot to me so I really hope that you all enjoy.
Books we talked about:
The Charm Offensive by Allison Cochran https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-charm-offensive-alison-cochrun/16221457
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society and the Meaning of Sex https://bookshop.org/p/books/ace-what-asexuality-reveals-about-desire-society-and-the-meaning-of-sex-angela-chen/14953389
Hey friends and welcome back for season 2! That's right we made it. In the first very short episode for season 2 I am updating everyone on how the end of 2022 went for me, my reading goals for 2023, what I've been up to and some exciting things happening very soon. I also tease some exciting hopeful interviews coming our way and hype y'all up for next week's interview. I talk about my favorite books of last year including The Sunbearer Trials and then get the author's name wrong...oops. That's what I get for doing this after the sun went down. The Sunbearer Trials is by AIDEN Thomas not Adrian. I am so sorry about that but at least I realized it?
The books I talked about are:
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (I also butchered this author's name. Bad night for names)
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades
In episode 10 my good friend Leah and I talk about Dawn by Octavia Butler, Beverly Jenkins, our shared love of steamy romances and the bad reputation that romance as a genre gets much to our bafflement. We laugh, have fun and decide this isn't the end of us recording together. There is no greater pleasure than talking about book with book friends. I hope you enjoy this one because I certainly did.
Books and Authors we talked about:
Dawn by Octavia Butler https://bookshop.org/p/books/dawn-octavia-e-butler/10056268?ean=9781538753712
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/869eac1f-4158-45f1-a8c4-9985a1cf7b2a
Beverly Jenkins: https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=Beverly+Jenkins
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-memory-called-empire-arkady-martine/6986710?ean=9781250186447
Babel by Rebecca F. Kuang: https://bookshop.org/p/books/babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence-an-arcane-history-of-the-oxford-translators-revolution-r-f-kuang/18269577?ean=9780063021426
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-lady-for-a-duke-alexis-hall/16280644?ean=9781538753750
In this episode it's just me again rambling on about some 2022 highlight, some 2023 goals and just some general feels. I shout out some very special friends in this one, talk about bookstagram in general and record for all time that I will never, ever make a reel on Instagram.
In episode 8 I'm just chatting. I ramble about mental health, where I'm at about job hunting and how that's effecting my life, a book I didn't love and had to put away and how important it is to be accurate when talking about mental health in literature. Lots of vibes and feelings in this one and not much else but I hope you enjoy.
In episode 7 I am interviewing my dad and things are a little different. We talk about his growing up, the things he liked to do as a kid, his general feelings on racism and how blind racism is the lazy easy road where as inclusion, compassion and understanding is the better harder decision. He talks about a couple movies he enjoys that showed him people like him and some of his all time favorite authors.
A totally different interview and a very different from my usual episode this one sparks a lot of heart. I hope it's something you enjoy.
Movies talked about:
Zoot Suit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcPYJ4guO6Y
Mi Familia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Family_(film)
In episode 6 I talk about the book THE LIFE GIVER by Jase Puddicombe and published by The Parliment House.
Find a copy available here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-life-giver-jase-puddicombe/18238611?ean=9781956136227
In episode 5 I am interviewing my good friend Ross. We talk about what it was like growing up always knowing he was gay, the comfort he found in coming out, shows he watched growing up, the ones he finds comfort in now and how neither of us realized it has been 10 years since we first talked. It's my very first interview and I stumble through it but it also feels like 2 best friends just sitting and chatting about all the things. I hope that you enjoy this first attempt at an interview.
We speak about the following shows:
QUEER AS FOLK
WILL AND GRACE
HEARTSTOPPER
We also speak about the movie LOVE SIMON and the HEARTSTOPPER graphic novels.
In episode 4 I gush about a favorite author, Zoraida Córdova for 22 minutes. I talk about how I discovered her and what makes her so special to me and my wish that she starts getting LOTS more recognition.
I mention all of Zoraida Córdova's books but mostly focus on the Brooklyn Brujas series which can be found here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/zoraida-cordova-249decfe-dd22-44f7-8d3a-05d15d8f6f96
I also briefly mention Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas which can be found here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/cemetery-boys-aiden-thomas/16520337?ean=9781250250469
Listen in with caution on this one. There is a content and trigger warning for a reason, I speak about some of my lowest points and how books and book people saved me time and time again. I speak about The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams published in 2021 by WilliamMorrow Books.
The Reading List available to purchase on bookshop.org:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-reading-list-sara-nisha-adams/17177827?ean=9780063025295
