Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

This week, Shelbey Monae and Jessica dive into generational trauma, family dynamics, and the complicated portrayal of cults in contemporary literature. We also talk about the importance of supporting Black authors, book marketing, author recognition, and what it means to navigate the publishing world as a reader.

Plus, we share personal reflections on our reading journeys and the books that continue to challenge, surprise, and shape us.

If you love Black literature, diverse books, literary discussions, contemporary fiction, and thoughtful conversations about books and culture, this episode is for you!

🎧 Subscribe, listen, and join the conversation.

🪩 Church Announcements:

September: The Fantasies of Future Things ( https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-fantasies-of-future-things-a-novel-doug-jones/4cb1057d64dc744c?ean=9781668016299&bkshp-astro=t)

Books Mentioned:

The Book of Chuck

Kin

Breathe Eyes Memory

Zeal

The Devil Three Times

The Hanged Man

Kindred

Meet Me In The Garden 

Authors Mentioned:

TV:

Furious

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

This week, Shelbey Monae and Jessica discuss new book releases, cultural identity, genre classification, and the power of storytelling. We unpack why context matters when reading diverse literature and how the stories we consume can shape the way we understand people, culture, and the world around us.

If you love Black literature, diverse books, literary fiction, book discussions, and thoughtful cultural conversations, this episode is for you!

🎧 Subscribe, listen, and join the conversation.

🪩 Church Announcements:

August: The Book of Chuck (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-of-chuck-a-novel-latoya-watkins/cc12158c8af94f74?ean=9780593854549&bkshp-astro=t)

Books Mentioned:

The Book of Chuck

Holler, Child

Perish

Zeal

The Seven Daughter of Dupree

Vigil

Falcon The Football

Die For Me

Study Guide

Kin

Song of Solomon

Breath Eyes Memory

Sula

Krik Krak

The Missed Connection

The Coroner’s Silence

Waterbearers

Anna Karenina

Ulyeses

Authors Mentioned:

Derek Walcott

TV:

Furious

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

This week, Shelbey Monae and Jessica get into culture, community, identity, and the generational disconnects shaping how we see the world. We discuss Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory, while exploring cultural upbringing, mentorship, social media, true crime, AI in literature and art, and what it means to support Black authors and local bookstores.

If you love Black literature, diverse books, literary discussions, cultural conversations, and reading podcasts, this episode is for you!

🎧 Subscribe, listen, and join the conversation.

🪩 Church Announcements:

August: The Book of Chuck (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-of-chuck-a-novel-latoya-watkins/cc12158c8af94f74?ean=9780593854549&bkshp-astro=t)

Books Mentioned:

On Earth We’re Briefly Beautiful

Breathe, Eyes, Memory 

Song of Solomon

Kin

Vigil

Die For Me

The Waterbearers

Authors Mentioned:

TV:

The Idaho Murders

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

In this episode, Shelbey Monae and Jessica discuss their latest book reviews, reading recommendations, and honest thoughts on today's literary landscape. We also share personal health experiences, explore mental health and cultural conversations, and dive into the importance of representation in contemporary romance, horror, and science fiction.

If you love literary fiction, Black authors, diverse books, thoughtful book discussions, and conversations that connect literature to culture and everyday life, this episode is for you.

🎧 Subscribe, leave a review, and join the conversation!

⬇️ Connect with us below for more book recommendations, podcast episodes, and literary discussions.

🪩 Church Announcements:

August: The Book of Chuck (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-of-chuck-a-novel-latoya-watkins/cc12158c8af94f74?ean=9780593854549&bkshp-astro=t)

Books Mentioned:

The Book of Chuck

The Summer Girlfriend 

The Curse of Hester Gardens

Indigo

On Witness and Respair

The Unknown

Bricked Up

Song of Solomon

Wench

Heavy

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous 

Sky Full of Elephants

The Revelation of Dionne Daphne

The Coroner’s Silence

Backtalker

Neuromancer

West of Damnation

The Siren

Authors Mentioned:

Lee Smith

Tia Williams

Danielle Allen

Kennedy Ryan

TV:

The Toxic Love Story

The Man Will Burn

Midsommer

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

This week, Shelbey Monae and Jessica are catching up on their latest book reviews, audiobook recommendations, and favorite recent finds while diving into the power of voice in storytelling. From book club discussions and concerts to fashion, film, and media, we explore how personal experiences shape the way we interpret stories.

We also have an honest conversation about cultural perception, mental health, identity, and the societal issues reflected in books, movies, and the media we consume. If you love literary fiction, Black authors, diverse books, book reviews, and thoughtful conversations that go beyond the page, this episode is for you.

🎧 Subscribe, leave a review, and join the conversation!

🪩 Church Announcements:

July: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-summer-girlfriend-kristina-forest/de7184f5b281609d?ean=9780593956397) 

Books Mentioned:

Theft

Afterlives

The Man Who Haunted Himself

In The Upper Country

The American Daughters

Leave Your Mess At Home

All This Want And I Can’t Get None

All The Men in Lagos Are Mad

The Sex Lives of African Women

Wrong Door

Song of Solomon

Bricked Up

Kin

Fairfield County

Broken Country

The Broken Hearts Agency

The Missed Connection

Fish Tales

Where The Dead Brides Gather

Something Like Love

The Revelation of Dionne Daphne 

Authors Mentioned:

VS Naipaul

Frantz Fanon

TV:

Obsession

The Odyssey

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

In this episode, we're joined by Elizabeth Sturder-Pryor—professor, author, and daughter of comedy legend Richard Pryor—for a powerful conversation about race, history, family legacy, and the stories we inherit. We explore how memory and storytelling shape our understanding of cultural icons, Black history, and identity while discussing the importance of examining the full context behind the lives of influential figures.

If you love Black literature, memoirs, history, author interviews, and thought-provoking conversations about culture and identity, this episode is for you.

Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation!

🪩 Church Announcements:

July: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-summer-girlfriend-kristina-forest/de7184f5b281609d?ean=9780593956397) 

Books Mentioned:

Perish

Bloodfire, Baby

The Color of Water

Sky Full of Elephants

Real Americans 

Assemblies of Sorrow: Performances of Black Endangerment in the Jim Crow Era

I Saw Death Coming

Authors Mentioned:

TV:

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Elizabeth’s TikTok&IG: @pryorhistories

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Shanda McManus to discuss grief, loss, healing, and the transformative power of storytelling. We dive into her debut memoir, Brother Epistles, exploring how writing through letters became a way to honor memory, navigate loss, and build community. Together, we discuss Black literature, memoir writing, authentic storytelling, and how books can help us process life's most difficult moments.If you enjoy memoirs, Black authors, thoughtful literary conversations, and stories centered on healing and personal growth, this is an episode you won't want to miss.Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation!

🪩 Church Announcements:July: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-summer-girlfriend-kristina-forest/de7184f5b281609d?ean=9780593956397) Books Mentioned:

I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings

The Color Purple

Heavy

Between The World and Me

The Mango Tree

The Loneliness Files

Blackouts

The Stone Yard Devotionals

Where The Dead Brides Gather

What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky

Authors Mentioned:

TV:

Love IslandHouse of the Dragon 

I Will Find You

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

This week, we're discussing On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward and exploring how grief, memory, and personal history shape literature and our understanding of ourselves. We also dive into fascinating conversations about time perception, CERN's recent scientific developments, neurodivergence, and the cyclical nature of history. If you love Black literature, literary fiction, thought-provoking book discussions, and conversations that connect books to the world around us, this episode is for you.

Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation!

🪩 Church Announcements:

July: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-summer-girlfriend-kristina-forest/de7184f5b281609d?ean=9780593956397) 

Books Mentioned:

Leave Your Mess At Home

Moonrise Over New Jessup

Theft

Fairfield Country

Daggermouth

The Company We Keep

The Broken Hearts Agency

On Witness and Respair

Authors Mentioned:

TV:

Love IslandHouse of the Dragon 

I Will Find You

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨

This week, we're catching up on our latest reads, tackling book challenges, sharing tips for reaching your reading goals, and reflecting on the books and life experiences shaping our reading journey. Whether you're looking for your next great read, motivation to finish your TBR, or thoughtful conversations about literature, this episode has something for you.

If you love literary fiction, Black authors, diverse books, reading podcasts, and honest book discussions, don't forget to subscribe and join the conversation!

Books Mentioned:

On Witness and Respair

Death to the Soccer God

Theft

Fairfield County

House of Margins

Womb City

August Lane

Paradise

Ghalen

Tasty

Resolution

Bloodfire, Baby

Mainline Mama

Leave Your Mess At Home

Greetings from the Baracoota Hotel

Authors Mentioned:

TV:

Love Island

House of the Dragon 

I Will Find You

💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:

📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer

📧Email Us: [email protected]

📱Follow us on socials:

IG&Threads: @theleagueofreaders

Shelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonae

Jess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub 

Welcome back to The League of Extraordinary Readers! 📚✨In this episode, we discuss the book publishing industry with Senior Marketing Director, Danielle Prielipp for the flagship imprint of Simon & Schuster (@SimonBooks). We get into influencer marketing, benefits of indie vs. traditional publishing, her journey into publishing, and more. Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation!🪩 Church Announcements:June: On Witness and Respair by: Jasmyn WardJess’s Reading Retreat: https://slljourneys.com/literature-noir-ghana-experience-2027 Brunchin’ With The Author: https://clyx.com/feed/019aa816-2b87-4b86-823c-be18bae574ff?target=eventTo keep up with Danielle and Simon & Schuster:Instagram/Threads/TikTok: @SimonBooksDanielle Instagram/Threads: @bookpubgal💬 Follow The League of Extraordinary Readers:📸 🎧 https://beacons.ai/tloer📧Email Us: [email protected]📱Follow us on socials:IG&Threads: @theleagueofreadersShelbey’s IG&Threads: @shelbeymonaeJess’s IG&Threads: @literaturenoirclub