Black Chick Lit

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BCL Chat: Our Favorite Diverse Kid Lit Titles Nov 04, 2019

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Hey, readers! In this month’s episode we discuss the perilous world of shopping for diverse children’s books. We’re overwhelmed by how much there is to consider with presenting children with authentic representation of people of color: When was the first time we saw ourselves in literature? Does it matter who writes and/or illustrates the book? How well do books handle interracial families or inter-community topics like colorism? And is it cheating to just buy your kid a book about a bear? (Answer: yes.)

Listen in as we discuss these questions and promote a few of our favorite titles. Join us for our next episode when we read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. As always, thanks for listening! Be sure to follow us on Twitter at @blackchicklit or check us out on Instagram at @bclpodcast.

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Just in case you missed the memo,Black people have always been around, thanks.
The Pew Research Center wants to know who’s not reading books?
I don’t know how we missed this original story, but, yes, quality genre fiction is just as good as quality literary fiction.
This chat was inspired by an article published by the School Library Journal that discussed the percentages of published children’s books featuring characters from diverse backgrounds. (A readable version of that graphic.)
Data were collected by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Episode 32: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Sep 25, 2019

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The kids are back in school and we revisit a childhood favorite: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor. And, whew, boy! Ms. Taylor aimed to teach the kids the truth about racism and she went above in beyond to do so. This book had lynch mobs, roving Klansmen and three men being burned alive.

The big question is, how were either of us able to read this as kids and not be traumatized? Also, why did Stacey remain friends with the shifty-ass T.J.? And why was Papa Logan so quick to threaten to blow shit up?

Be sure to listen in on our next episode when we discuss the issue surrounding diverse kid lit. Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. As always, thank you to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

BCL Chat: YouTube and Black Booktubers Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

We try to talk Booktube and get distracted by our general distrust of social media. Inspired by the HuffPost piece titled "Where Are All the Black Booktubers?," we decided to investigate the question ourselves.

What we found wasn't that surprising: Plain ol' racism is keeping many Black booktubers from thriving. Naya, of Naya Reads and Smiles (the largest channel lead by a black booktuber), also spoke on the issue in her own video. The disparity between White booktubers and Black booktubers is undeniable. “White BookTubers who garner at least 300,000 subscribers on their YouTube channels … and two out of three of them even have their own published novels. On the flip side, the most well-known African-American BookTuber to date is Naya Reads and Smiles, with only 58,000 subscribers, despite having been uploading videos for years.

In other news, we also discussed:

- Toni Morrison passed away, and Roxane Gay wrote a great piece for The New York Times about her legacy. There were also great pieces in The Atlantic, The New Yorker and Sojourners.
- Speaking of New York Times. An editor at there was demoted following multiple bad takes regarding race and his entitled behavior/harassment toward Roxane Gay.
- This bold take claiming there's no point in reading anything if it's not a classic.
- Whether this guy is an asshole for eating three feet of a six-foot sub.

Episode 31: They All Fall Down Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

Happy August, readers! This month, we wanted a light beach read to help us make it through these remaining dog days of summer. Instead, we got a wild And Then There Were None-inspired murder fest where a man gets boiled alive in a hot tub. Fun.

We read They All Fall Down, by Rachel Howzell Hall, and it's full to the brim of assholes. We read as an equally asshole-y lawyer lures them to a tropical paradise where they're cut down one by one. There are guns, cocaine, poisonous sushi and, deadliest of all, the world's longest silk scarf.

Listen in as we discuss this motley crew of murderers and bandits and decide who had the best (worst?) death.

No BCLChat question this time! In our next episode, we’re trying something new. Instead of asking you guys a question and sharing your answers, we’re going to pick a topic or issue to discuss and have more structured (read: researched lol) conversations about them. More episodes like our #RITASsoWhite discussion, for example. Next chat, we’re discussing black booktubers and discuss the issues they face on the platform.

Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. As always, thank you to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

BCL Chat: Your Most Anticipated 2019 Reads Jul 21, 2019

Show notes

Happy July! It's a chattier chat than usual as we dig into some book news from around Twitter and the business pages.

Angie Thomas kicks off Twitter controversy by ... asking not to be tagged in reviews?
Microsoft shut down its ebook service, meaning customers who bought books through that service lost them. This is a good reminder to us all that we don’t actually own our ebooks.
Loud, ignorant people on the internet are mad that Halle Bailey got a job as Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid remake.

We also asked you all what upcoming releases you're most looking forward to. You gave us some great titles to add to our TBR. Thanks to @curvyblackgeek, @almost_esq, @IamTammiJ and @charelliam for sending us their picks!

As always, thanks for listening and be sure to check out our next episode when we read and discuss They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall.

Episode 30: The Wedding Date Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

This is the last time we talk about this book and this author. That's a promise.

We invite our friends from Mocha Girls Read for a special episode. We briefly talk about that crazy YA author who now has a book deal before digging into Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date. Spoiler alert: We're all kinds of confused. What does Drew actually look like? What happened to Alexa to make her so stupid? Do these characters ever eat a vegetable? We don't answer any of 'em, but we give it a try.

Follow Mocha Girls Read at @mochagirlsread and visit them at mochagirlsread.com. Be sure to check out #SummerSoulLit on Twitter.

As always, join us for our next BCL Chat! We want to know your most anticipated reads for the second half of 2019. Take part in the discussion by tweeting us at @blackchicklit.

Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. As always, thank you to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

BCL Chat: Who Are Your Favorite Indie Authors? Jun 21, 2019

Show notes

We're celebrating the little guys (well, gals, tbh) this episode as we discuss your favorite indie authors.

Before that, we talk some book news. People keep coming for libraries, and this time it was in the dumbest way possible. Rare Bird is being sued by Natasha Tynes for $13 MILLION and their lawyer found time in his day to send this response. And finally, The Atlantic came for the Goodreads Challenge. Thanks to everyone who replied to our #BCLChat. Check out the authors and books we discussed below:

Alexandra Warren
- Baggage Claim: “I don’t need to know your name. I know your spirit. I’m more concerned with that.” Ryan and Will: Two strangers with instant chemistry on an adventure fueled by a fiery connection neither can contain. But not everything is as it seems. Or is it?
Nicole Falls
- A Natural Transition: Nyema Landry is more interested in her flourishing career as a DJ than settling down. Langston Goode is a man on the rise with his eyes on the prize, ready to finally lay his claim on Nyema’s heart. Since their first meeting, Nyema and Langston had been at odds, and they were perfectly fine with that arrangement ... until the undeniable current of desire that crackled between them was no longer avoidable.
Jacinta Howard
- Happiness in Jersey: (First book in her Prototype series) The only thing in Jersey Kincaid’s world that she has time for are keeping her grades up so that she doesn’t lose her scholarship to South Texas University, playing the bass in her band, The Prototype, and satisfying her coffee addiction. Oh, and the occasional random hook-up she indulges in to pass the time. When Jersey meets Isaiah “Zay” Broussard with his soulful gray eyes, quick wit and easy charm, she’s determined to remain aloof. She doesn't have time to get sidetracked by fleeting fantasies, even if she does feel an unexplainable connection to Zay she’s never experienced before.
Love Belvin
- The Rhythm of Blues: (First book in her Love in Rhythm & Blues series) Ragee is a successful R&B singer, music composer, and actor who shot to fame and celebrity at rocketing speed. But he has an unshakable stigma attached to his stardom that won’t seem to go away. Wynter Blue thought she was taking control of her world the day she up and quit her job. Little did she know, the day she walked out of her job was the very one she’d run into his shroud of smoke. Wynter questions if she can handle Ragee’s darkness while trying to bring him into the light of truth.

Join us in our next episode when we read ... *sigh* ... The Wedding Date, by Jasmine Guillory. We'll be joined by our friends over at Mocha Girls Read, so be sure to read up and listen in!

Episode 29: American Spy May 31, 2019

Show notes

Hey, readers! We embrace our inner conspiracy theorists with our latest read, American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. It's got everything you'd expect from a spy novel: Cold War politics, assassination attempts, missing sisters and a white dude named Ross. Listen in as we discuss this unexpected piece of African history fanfic.

We also talk about Family Matters, Jaleel White's supposedly shady past and that scene from In the Heat of the Night where Sidney Poitier slapped a racist white dude. (It's Mollie's mom's favorite scene for good reason.)

As always, join us for our next BCL Chat and let us know who your favorite indie author is. Take part in the discussion by tweeting us at @blackchicklit.

Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. As always, thank you to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

BCL Chat: Do You Reread Books? May 17, 2019

Show notes

Hey, readers.

We've got another chat for you. This time, we wanted to know if y'all reread books and why. Before we get to that, however, we chat about that messy author who got in trouble for snitching, BookRiot's unusually bad romance take and whether or not it's a good idea to tag authors in negative reviews. (Tbh, I feel like that first story should answer that question. Don't be rude to people on social media, 'cause that shit can come back to bite you bad.)

We also unload all our Avengers: Endgame feelings. If you want to avoid that and all the spoilers therein, skip 43:07 to 1:11:12.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this month's chat! A majority of you said you did reread books, but a good number of you said you felt no need revisit stories you've already experienced. Check out your answers beginning at the 1:16:40 mark.

Be sure to join us for our next read. We're going to discuss American Spy, by Laura Wilkinson.

Episode 28: "My Sister, the Serial Killer" Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

We get back to our literary fiction roots and read Oyinkan Braithwaite's debut novel, My Sister, the Serial Killer. This book has it all: love triangles, jealousy and, cake. Surprisingly, not a whole lot of murder. Listen in as we try to figure out just how crazy this family is. (Spoiler: We do kind of love the titular sister; she truly doesn't give a fuck.)

Also in this episode, Dani shares her adventures from KissCon in Chicago, Mollie confirms that A Goofy Movie is still the best Disney movie and we express our mutual hatred for Cousin Skeeter.

Don't forget to join us for our next BCL Chat: How often to you reread books? Does your opinion about books change after a repeat read? Take part in the discussion by tweeting us at @blackchicklit on Twitter.

Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. As always, thank you to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

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