Darren Matthews is a Black Texas Ranger, and he’s all too aware of the deeply embedded racial tensions in East Texas. His personal life is in turmoil, and he's supposed to turn his badge in, yet he can't help but get wrapped up in a small town mystery. Decades-long grudges and hatred surface as he investigates, but it seems like everyone except for Darren just wants to push the racism and prejudice down instead of rooting it out. This award-winning mystery is the first in Attica Locke’s Highway 59 series. Today we’re discussing Bluebird, Bluebird. (Our discussion episodes contain spoilers). 

Show Notes:

The Importance of OWN Voices Reviews

Review of Bluebird, Bluebird by Esi Edugyan

Attica Locke on her “love letter to Black Texans

Attica Locke: “In America, We Walk ‘Side by Side’ With Our Past”

First Black Texas Ranger

The First African-American Woman Texas Ranger

The Real Lone Ranger

We didn’t fully address the heavy use of racist language in Bluebird, Bluebird in our discussion and couldn’t find any reviews or interviews that focused on it. Here are two resources on the importance of learning the history behind racist terms:

Teaching Tolerance

The Root

Recommendations: 

The Dry by Jane Harper

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Pronto/Raylan by Elmore Leonard 

Today we’re answering listener questions about reading “the classics.” How do we define “classic literature?” And which classic books are on our to be read piles? In addition to defining and discussing the importance of certain “cultural touchstone” books, we recommend classic literature to read in the summertime. 

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Show Notes:

“Why Read the Classics” by Italo Calvino

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson

Emma by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Passing by Nella Larsen

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler 

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier 

The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery 

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

In this episode, we’re discussing this summer’s wilderness mystery hit, The River by Peter Heller. In addition to sharing our thoughts on Jack and Wynn’s survival story, we revisit a memory from our honeymoon in Wyoming and offer book recommendations based on Heller’s prose. We’d love to hear what you think of The River or what you’re reading this summer. Connect with us at any of the links below:

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The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Celine by Peter Heller

Sea Stories by William H. McRaven

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien

Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge

Serial Season 2

American Cipher by Matt Farwell and Michael Ames

Fleabag on Amazon Prime

The Popcast with Knox and Jamie

Bodyguard on Netflix

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

We’re back! Thanks for waiting for us while we moved across the country and faced unexpected hurdles. Today we’re sharing what we’ve been up to during our hiatus, which television shows got us through a tough transition, and what we read (of course). Check out the show notes below for titles, helpful links, and more:

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Final Girls by Riley Sager

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

Magic City Books, Tulsa

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Ghost Fleet by P.W. Singer and August Cole

US Army Chief of Staff Reading List

F-35 Fighter Jets Article

Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver

His Girl Friday

The Thin Man

The Thrilling Adventure Hour

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

The Inventor

The Dropout

The Burning Issue of the Day by T.E. Kinsey

Chernobyl on HBO

Schitt’s Creek on Netflix

Patreon

iTunes News

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

The River by Peter Heller

Today we’re discussing our April buddy read, The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson. We talk about what we think of the case, the trial, and the Gilded Age gender politics. Considering the book is about a famous historical crime, this episode is pretty much spoiler-free. With plenty of sidetracking, book recommendations, and general nerding out, you can listen to the episode without having read the book. Be sure to tell us your thoughts on the Borden murders, recent Game of Thrones episodes, and what you’re reading lately!

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Show Notes:

The Trial of Lizzie Borden audiobook

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark audiobook

Borden crime scene photos

Smart Guy Disney, Lizzie Borden Episode

Serial Season 1

Making a Murderer

Sherlock Holmes

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Between books sales and birthday celebrations, we’ve acquired quite a few books so far in 2019! Today we’re sharing the highlights of our Quarter One book purchases, including poetry collections, sports stories, and mystery novels. We’re also answering a listener question about how to ask for Advanced Review Copies and giving our recommendations of the week.

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Show Notes:

How to request ARCs from publishers

NetGalley

The Art and Practice of Military Strategy 1984

Gods and Generals by Jeff Shara

What Should I Read Next Ep. 164

Gates of Fire Steven Pressfield

The Killer Angels by Michael Shara

James Baldwin: The Last Interview

Talent by Juliet Lapidos

Our Man in Charleston by Christopher Dickey

Felicity by Mary Oliver

The Return by Hisham Matar

Commonplace Books OKC

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

On Writing by Stephen King

The Best Game Ever by Mark Bowden

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Forde

My Plain Jane by Hand, Ashton, and Meadows

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The Boys of ‘36

Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon

Playing to the Edge by Michael V. Hayden

The Assault on Intelligence by Michael V. Hayden

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Deep Work by Cal Newport

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Inheritance by Dani Shapiro

The Jedburghs by Will Irwin

Dadland by Keggie Carew

The Singer’s Gun by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Franklin and Winston by Jon Meacham

Assata by Assata Shakur

Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard

My Lady Jane by Hand, Ashton, and Meadows

Dare To Lead Buddy Read Discussion. This is further proof that sometimes finding the intersection of two very different reading tastes doesn't have to be difficult! @definitelyra suggested we read this one, and she knows us well. Curtis loves leadership books, and Chelsey has read some @brenebrown. Listen to our conversation to find out what we thought of the book and how we might apply the concepts for ourselves.

Show Notes

Announcement: We’re releasing two episodes in April, 4/9 and 4/23 because we’re prepping to move. Then we’ll be on hiatus for the month of May. We’ll still post Patreon content here.

Brene Brown

Man in the Arena Speech

Dare to Lead Resources

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson

Back to School! It might seem like an odd time to talk about school (is it spring break yet?), but with Curtis two classes in and Chelsey nearly finished with her degree, we figured we had better capture our thoughts now. Today we're talking about how grad school has shaped our reading lives. If you're curious about going back to school as an adult, balancing reading with...well, more reading, or what we're studying, this is the episode you've been waiting for.

Show Notes

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Beowulf

VSU Masters in English

MSU Masters in Leadership

Jane Eyre

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes

Librofm

Harvard Business Must Reads

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard

Friends from College on Netflix

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

The Power of Vulnerability

Winter is Coming. Are you ready for the final season of Game of Thrones? We have podcast and recap recommendations to help you prepare. Plus, Curtis gives his top three fantasy series recommendations to satisfy the GoT shaped hole in your heart once the show ends.

3 for 1 audiobooks from Librofm

Support us on Patreon

Acupuncture 101

A Song of Ice and Fire box set

Red Wedding reaction videos

George R.R. Martin Wishes He’d Finished the Books First

George R.R. Martin’s writing style

GoT Catch Up Guide

Gay of Thrones

Vulture GoT

Watch Mojo GoT S8 trailer

Nerdette Recaps GoT with Peter Sagal

The Popcast Bachelorette Recaps

Librofm GoT audiobooks

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Rising Popularity of Fantasy

BookRiot GoT Recs

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke’

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

GoT Whiskey

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Dare to Lead

Our birthdays are coming up, and we’ve been thinking about which books are at the top of our wishlists. We have a mix of new spring releases, backlist titles, and book-adjacent gift ideas to share. All Chelsey wants for her birthday is to reach 50 reviews on iTunes! Write a review here.

Give the gift of Sipsby

3 for 1 audiobooks from Librofm

Support us on Patreon

Show Notes:

Wheaten Terriers

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Rayne and Delilah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Thrawn (Star Wars) by Timothy Zahn

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

The Americans

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Instant Hotel on Netflix

Ghost Fleet by P.W. Singer

Army Chief of Staff Reading List

The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

Leaders: Myth and Reality by Stanley McChrystal

Sea Stories by William H. McRaven

Dragon’s Jaw by Stephen Coonts

Penguin Clothbound Classics

The Annotated Sense and Sensibility

Book of the Month

Shelf Subscription

Page One

Game of Thrones Whiskey

Move the Sticks Podcast

It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown