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The SSR Podcast — Arts
The SSR Podcast

Each week, freelance writer and lifelong bookworm Alli Hoff Kosik will challenge a guest to reread a literary throwback or to experience for the first time ever a book they may have missed as a kid. After that, they’ll be asked to spill all the feels and all the opinions about that book on the air for your podcast-listening pleasure. Every Tuesday, you can find us breaking down an old school read from our tween and teen days on a new episode of the show. We’ll cover everything from The Baby-Sitters Club to Holes, Nancy Drew to Harry Potter. This time around, we’re a little wiser (yay!), a lot older (ugh.), and of legal age to drink wine… so we’ll have a lot to say. Happy Reading!

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Latest Episodes:

Episode 220: Anne of West Philly (New Reads November) Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

For Week 4 of New Reads November, Alli and her guest talk about Alli’s first-ever graphic novel: Anne of West Philly. Written by Ivy Noelle Weir and illustrated by Myisha Haynes, Anne of West Philly is a fresh retelling of the classic Anne of Green Gables that casts Anne Shirley as a spunky foster kid who develops a passion for coding while living with the Cuthberts in Philadelphia. Tune in to hear about all things graphic novels, Anne of Green Gables, representations of foster care, and some seriously sweet teachable moments.

Erin Entrada Kelly is the Newbery Medal-winning, bestselling author of books for young readers, including Hello, Universeand We Dream of Space. Her latest work is Surely, Surely Marisol Rainey. Follow her on Instagram (@erinentrada) and Twitter (@erinentrada).

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Episode 219: Ophelia After All (New Reads November) Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

Tune in for Week 3 of SSR’s New Reads November 2022, on which Raquel Marie’s Ophelia After Alltakes center stage! This one is the story of a high school senior who is excited for the prom but decidedly not excited about the prospect of the big changes that are coming her way. When the way she starts to see herself begins to change, too, you know it’s about to get tricky. On this episode, Alli and her guest talk about everything from labels and identity to representation and bigger bodies as portrayed on the page. They also swap stories from their own high school experiences!

Lyssa Kay Adams is the author of the beloved Bromance Book Club series. The latest installment — A Very Merry Bromance — is now available. Follow her on Instagram (@lyssakayadams) and Twitter (@LyssaKayAdams).

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Episode 218: Kings of B'More (New Reads November) Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Week 2 of New Reads November 2022 is all about R. Eric Thomas’s Kings of B’More, a YA novel that celebrates platonic love and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Episode 218 journeys into all kinds of conversational territory, including the importance of books as “empathy engines,” some great fictional parenting moments, our collective understanding of queer love stories, popularity, the outsized nature of teenaged feelings, COVID in literature, and more.

Tracey Livesay is an award-winning author of contemporary interracial romance, including American Royalty. Follow her on Facebook (@TraceyLivesayAuthor), Instagram (@tracey.livesay), and Twitter (@tlivesay).

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Episode 217: Last Night at the Telegraph Club (New Reads November) Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Happy New Reads November 2022!

This year, we kick off our annual exploration of recently-published YA and middle grade with a conversation about Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which has earned about a million awards and deserves every one. Alli and her guest do their fair share of fangirling about the novel and also discuss intersectionality, safe spaces, xenophobia, banned books, the immigrant experience, girls in STEM, microaggressions, and the importance of queer rep.

Lily Chu is the author of romantic comedies set in Toronto with strong Asian characters, including The Stand-Inand The Comeback (now available on Audible and soon in-print!). Follow Lily on Instagram (@lilychuauthor) and Twitter (@lilychuauthor).

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Episode 216: L.A. Candy Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

Episode 216 takes us back to another time and place — more specifically, to Los Angeles circa 2009. Alli and her guest chat about L.A. Candy, Lauren Conrad’s Y.A. debut and a very obvious attempt to spill *just a little* tea about her time on reality television. They discuss their personal memories of the L.C. era and the changing nature of fame and reality TV. They also speculate about what’s “real” in L.A. Candy and why Lauren (and her co-author) made the decisions she made when developing the story.

Claire Parker is one half of the Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast. Follow Claire on Instagram (@clairethescare). Follow the podcast on Instagram (@celebritymemoirbookclub).

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Episode 215: Double Crossing (Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys SuperMystery #1) Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys come together for the crossover Super Mysteries series… and on Episode 215, Alli and her guest come together to discuss its first installment, Double Crossing. They chat about the impossible-to-ignore chemistry between Nancy and Frank Hardy, the murky details of technology and national security as presented in the book, and some of the most harrowing situations we observe in this particular mystery. They also discuss why Nancy endures as a favorite protagonist across so many decades.

Nisha Sharma is the critically acclaimed author of YA and adult contemporary romances, including Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romanceand Dating Dr. Dil. Follow her on Instagram (@nishawrites) and Twitter (@Nishawrites).

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Episode 214: Can't Stay Away (SVH Senior Year #1) Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

On Episode 214, Alli and her guest go back to Sweet Valley… but they find it grittier and sassier than you’ve seen it before. In the first book of the SVH Senior Year series Can’t Stay Away, the Wakefields and their classmates adapt to a new normal after their lives are shaken up by a major earthquake. But what happens when Sweet Valley is forced to merge with the student body from El Carro High? One word: drama. Tune in to this episode to hear Alli and Elissa Sussman unpack all of said drama and discuss weird gestures around diversity, bad boy stereotypes, the enemies to lovers trope, slut shaming, Jessica and Elizabeth’s questionable senior year resolutions, misogyny, and this new take on the classic series.

Elissa Sussman is the author of books for teens and adults, including Drawn That Way and Funny You Should Ask. Follow her on Instagram (@elissa_sussman) and Twitter (@ElissaSussman).

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Episode 213: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

On Episode 213, Alli and her guest explore a newer and also lesser-known throwback, E. Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. This 2009 Printz Honor recipient might just be Alli’s new SSR favorite, so tune in even if you’re not familiar with it! The discussion about Frankie focuses primarily on matters of feminism, power dynamics, and questioning the status quo.

S.K. Ali is the New York Times bestelling and award-winning author of many books for young readers, including Saints and Misfits, Love from A to Z, Misfit in Love, Once Upon an Eid, and The Proudest Blue. Her latest novel Love from Mecca to Medinahits shelves on October 14, 2022. Follow her on Instagram (@skalibooks) and Twitter (@SajidahWrites).

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Episode 212: Slumber Party Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

You are cordially invited to one of the most terrifying slumber parties in history: more specifically, Christopher Pike’s Slumber Party, which was published in 1985. In addition to being terrifying, this gathering is also extremely problematic… and you *know* that Alli and her guest are going to discuss every last detail. They chat about the book’s bizarre depiction of teen girls, spontaneous combustion, highly un-charming love interests, grotesque language around bodies, and so much more.

TW: eating disorders, sexual assault, bodily trauma

Ali Hazelwood is the bestselling author of contemporary romcoms about women in STEM and academia, including The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain. Follow her on Instagram (@alihazelwood).

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Episode 211: Maniac Magee Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Mageewas published in 1990 and won the Newbery Medal in 1991. On Episode 211, Alli and her guest discuss the book itself, but also the larger messages it sends about race and racism and how those messages read differently in 2022. They also talk about their favorite snack cakes, the meaning of home, stereotypes, and the differences between equality and equity.

TW: racism, sexual assault

Jordan Hernandez is the reader behind @_completelybooked, through which she runs a monthly book club that prioritizes representation in publishing and on the page. Check out her shop for cute bookish merch!

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