In this episode, Emmy B and Whitney Flygare discuss "Maybe You Should Talk To Someone" by Lori Gottlieb. As this book gives readers great insights into the process and helpfulness of therapy, when a psychoanalyst talks about her experience with seeing a psychoanalyst- then we discuss it with a school psychologist- it's going to be a good time and a fun conversation!

In this episode, Emmy B and bookstagrammer Heather Clark, @bookswithclarkie , discuss a favorite read by Fredrik Backman "Beartown".
This is a book about a hockey team, a culture and community, friendship, family, and an incident that threatens to tear it all down. The writing and character nuances are brilliant. The themes painful and beautiful. There's so much for the reader here, and we talk about it all. We also hope to share unique aspects of the book that will give you more to think about and more to love! 

In this episode, Emmy B interviews author, blogger, and animal rescue advocate Cara Sue Achterberg on her newest novel "Blind Turn." Cara draws on her own experiences and grows along with her readers' on life's journey of growth, forgiveness, and redemption. The story is sober and chilling - we know it's fiction, yet the story of a teen charged with vehicular homicide is something far too real. Don't worry- we kept all the spoilers out.

Brief Summary: After a texting a driving accident threatens to ruin a life and disrupt a community, lessons of friendship and forgiveness mix with fear and guilt, as a sixteen year old girl grows up in a single terrible instant.

Connect with Cara Sue Achterberg:
website: http://www.carawrites.com/
instagram: @carasueachterberg

In this episode, Emmy B and Tara Bleazard discuss why these 5 BOOKS w/ African American Authors, have our hearts! Wrapping up Black History Month, here are some great books to diversify your current book list. 

"If You Come Softly" by Jaqueline Woodson (Teen Romance)

"Punching The Air" By Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam (Fiction)

"Grown" by Tiffanie D Jackson (Adult Fiction)

"Between The World & Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Memoir)

"Ghost" by Jason Reynolds (Middle Grade)

In this episode, EmmyB and Ashley Curran @smashley.reads discuss a 2020 favorite!

Compassionate, sensitive, funny, and unforgettable- the characters in this novel weave us through the topics of friendship, love, forgiveness, redemption, and dying. There is so much to talk about, and so much to love!

In this episode, Emmy B talks with Christina Hammonds Reed about her recently released debut novel, "The Black Kids." Discussing specifically the topic of Own Voices, Emmy asks Christina what it means to her to create a space for readers like her- as well as what the intended insights are for readers like me.  This is a discussion on race, economic status, perception and willingness to create empathy for an experience that is not your own. It's the perfect conversation to prove; that we can talk about difficult things, in a lovely way, through the books that we read!

In this episode, Pakistani American Kirin Nabi discusses the middle grade, own voices book: “A Place At The Table” by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan. A real and honest discussion about prejudice, hate rhetoric, and code switching, Kirin openly discusses it all. Her invitation to reach across barriers to create unity, is genuine and full of hope. 

For all of us who want to do better- her voice is one to listen to. Kirin sums it up with this: “You don’t have to be best friends, but you can Be Kind.”

You can follow Kirin on:

Instagram: @islamicschoollibrarian
www.islamicschool librarian.wordpress.com

And more diverse books:
diversebookfinder.org

In this episode, 2018 Audie Award Winner, and narrator of over 150 books, Nancy Peterson discusses the ins and outs of narrating our favorite books. A 25-year veteran of stage, screen, and recording studio, Nancy has a penchant for dialects; diving deep into the study of language. Her narration style, summed up by AudioFile Magazine, "creates the sense of listening to a play instead of a straightforward reading." 

In this episode, Emmy B & bookstagrammer Cayla Turner discuss one of her favorite 2020 reads: "The Black Kids" by Christina Hammonds Reed. With a background in Africana Studies, and a passion for 'knowing your history', Cayla shares her thoughts and insights on this must read YA, NY Times bestseller! Set in California in the 90s, the timeline of this book follows the Rodney King beating and subsequent rioting in LA.  It's a poignant look at how social and cultural tensions shape our coming of age stories.

Find Cayla on Instagram @bookitqueen

"The Black Kids" was published by Simon and Schuster in 2020
She also recommends reading: "The Address Book" by Deirdre Mask