Black Chick Lit

Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing is full of heartbreak. And ghosts. And vomit. But mostly heartbreak. That’s probably why it took both of us a full month to finish it. It was worth it, though. Listen in as we break down the plot, voice and themes in this beautiful book.

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Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing is full of heartbreak. And ghosts. And vomit. But mostly heartbreak. That’s probably why it took both of us a full month to finish it. It was worth it, though. Listen in as we break down the plot, voice and themes in this beautiful book.

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It’s time for your monthly BCL Chat. This month we asked you if you’d be attempting NaNoWriMo (that is, National Novel Writing Month). You all overwhelmingly replied “prolly not.”

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Jinkies! We read a mystery and, boy, was it a doozy. There’s homicidal rage, alcoholism and then at some point, we actually got around to discussing the book.

Attica Locke’s Bluebird, Bluebird takes readers into the heart of a small rural Texas town where two murders have shaken up the local community. Listen in for a passionate discussion involving dumb criminals, court procedures and Scooby-Doo.

The first part of our discussion is spoiler-free. So listen in and be sure to check out Bluebird, Bluebird, which was released Sept. 12. Spoilers begin at the 38-minute mark.

• “Terrence Howard’s Dangerous Mind,” Rolling Stone

Jinkies! We read a mystery and, boy, was it a doozy. There’s homicidal rage, alcoholism and then at some point, we actually got around to discussing the book.

Attica Locke’s Bluebird, Bluebird takes readers into the heart of a small rural Texas town where two murders have shaken up the local community. Listen in for a passionate discussion involving dumb criminals, court procedures and Scooby-Doo.

The first part of our discussion is spoiler-free. So listen in and be sure to check out Bluebird, Bluebird, which was released Sept. 12. Spoilers begin at the 38-minute mark.

We’ve been busy y’all.

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We recorded this episode the same day as the Charlottesville attacks and, boy, could you tell. We have no patience this week for racism, rape culture and body hatred. (Or for checking our own audio, apparently. Sorry, yo.)

We funnel that frustration into a discussion of Roxane’s Gay Hunger. Listen in as we talk (and try to deal with) rape culture, harmful reality TV shows and America’s overall wretchedness in 2017.

(Note: While we don’t go into detail, we do discuss the themes raised in this book, including rape and sexual violence against children. If needed, listen with care.)

We recorded this episode the same day as the Charlottesville attacks and, boy, could you tell. We have no patience this week for racism, rape culture and body hatred. (Or for checking our own audio, apparently. Sorry, yo.)

This episode, we’re joined by Alysia, founder of Mocha Girls Read. She shares how she started her popular book club, how it has grown, and her own thoughts on book buying.

Thanks to all of you who shared you got your books! We got more responses to this question than any other BCL Chat.

Join us as we live-tweet the first two episodes of OWN’s Queen Sugar at 6 p.m. PDT/8 CDT Saturday, Aug. 19.

Read up and join us for our next episode when we discuss Roxane Gay’s Hunger.

2017’s been hard. We didn’t make things any better by reading Beloved. We needed some cheering up, so we decided to read Samantha Irby’s darkly funny We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.

Listen in for a discussion of Midwestern college life, evil cats and Dani’s aversion to strangers’ bodily fluids. Next month, read up and tune in when we discuss Hunger, by Roxane Gay.

And don’t forget to share your thoughts in the next bonus episode. We want to know: How do you acquire the books you read? Buy new? Buy used? Library? Other … less legal means? Share your thoughts by tweeting us at @blackchicklit.

Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes.

Congratulations to giveaway winner Charell! She received a free copy of Queen Sugar and an Amazon gift card courtesy of Mocha Girls Read. Alysia, founder of Mocha Girls Read, will be joining us at our next bonus episode. Get excited!