For the last Stacks Book Club episode of the year, we're diving into Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger with Joel Anderson, senior staff writer at The Ringer and co-host of sports & media podcast The Press Box. This book follows the 1988 season of the Permian Panthers, one of the best high-school football teams in Texas history. We discuss whether this book could exist as is today, how we feel about high school athletes getting special academic treatment, and why Joel wants to untether grades from extracurricular activities. There are spoilers in this episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our January book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/12/31/ep-405-friday-night-lights Connect with Joel: Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s finally the episode we’ve all been waiting for: The Stacks' Best Books of 2025! Traci talks with two longtime friends of the show, Greta Johnsen, host of Happy to Be Here, and MJ Franklin, an editor at The New York Times Book Review, to share our top 10 books of the year. We discuss the overall year in books, why we struggled to create this list, and all the books we’re looking forward to reading in 2026. The Stacks Book Club pick for December is Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, December 31st, with Joel Anderson. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/12/24/ep-404-best-books-of-2025 Connect with Greta: Instagram | Substack Connect with MJ: Instagram | TikTok | Threads Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're at the end of 2025 and this year we're looking back, not at the best of the year, but at the worst, most hatable moments. To break it all down, Traci teamed up with friend of the pod, Nora McInerny, for a crossover bonus episode between The Stacks and Nora's show, Thanks for Asking. From Taylor Swift to AI slop and so much more, get ready for a whole lot of hot takes and disgruntled energy. This episode is a collaboration with Nora’s podcast Thanks for Asking. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/12/19/tsu-54-nora-mcinerny Connect with Nora: Website | Substack | Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by National Book Award finalist Alejandro Varela to talk about his newest novel, Middle Spoon. Humorously exploring unconventional relationships and complexities of polyamory, this novel follows Alejandro’s unnamed narrator, a married man navigating heartbreak after his boyfriend abruptly dumps him. We discuss why he wanted to write about heartbreak, how he brought more of himself to this book, and why it was important to him to depict OCD correctly. The Stacks Book Club pick for December is Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, December 31st, with Joel Anderson as our guest. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/12/17/ep-403-alejandro-varela Connect with Alejandro: Instagram | Website | Bluesky Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by James Beard Award-winning chef, TV host, and author Samin Nosrat to discuss her newest book, Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love. In this cookbook, Samin shares over 125 of her favorite go-to recipes, including ricotta custard pancakes, saffron-burnished roast chicken, nostalgia-inducing yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and everything in between. We discuss her return to writing after the success of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, how she balances technique with improvisation in the kitchen, and the friction between her identities as a writer and a chef. The Stacks Book Club pick for December is Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, December 31st, with Joel Anderson. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/12/10/ep-402-samin-nosrat Connect with Samin: Instagram | Website | Substack Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Joel Anderson, senior staff writer at The Ringer and co-host of sports & media podcast The Press Box. We discuss his transition from athlete to sports journalist, how his relationship with his audience has changed alongside public perceptions of the media, whether we’re freaking out enough about the state of media, and why he loves books on place. The Stacks Book Club pick for December is Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, December 31st, with Joel Anderson returning as our guest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is The Stacks Book Club day, and Page Break founder Mikey Friedman is back to discuss National Book Award-winner Justin Torres's debut novel, We the Animals. Set in rural upstate New York in the 1980s, this coming-of-age novel traces the experiences of three mixed-race brothers bustling through boyhood while navigating the violence and chaos within their household. In our conversation, we chat about what sets this book apart from other coming-of-age stories, how this functions as a sensory novel, and the ways the book explores shame and desire without judgment. There are spoilers in this episode. Make sure you listen to the end of the episode to hear what our January book club pick will be! You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/11/26/ep-400-we-the-animals Connect with Mikey: Instagram | TikTok Connect with Page Break: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*This is a teaser for this Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode, click here to listen to the full episode* Ever wondered who else brings The Stacks to life? Well, lucky for you, you’re about to meet them. For the first time ever, we're bringing you behind the scenes to introduce you to the team that helps make this podcast happen. Join Traci as she chats with Sahara Clement, Cherie Marquez, and Christian Dueñas about who they are, what they do, the biggest surprises and hardest parts of their jobs, and the things she does that annoy them. This podcast wouldn’t be what it is without their hard work, and you can support that by joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and subscribing to our Substack. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/11/21/tsu-53-meet-the-stacks-team Connect with Sahara: Website | Instagram  Connect with Cherie: Website | Instagram Connect with Christian: Instagram Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by author and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes to talk about her new novel, The White Hot. This book explores an exhausted young mother’s life-changing, “white hot” rage-induced decision to abandon her daughter, break her family’s cycle of generational trauma, and discover herself in the process. We chat about why she wanted to write about women leaving home, how she views the audience for her plays versus her books, and how she creates in the face of her own success. The Stacks Book Club pick for November is We the Animals by Justin Torres. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, November 26th, with Mikey Friedman. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/11/19/ep-399-quiara-alegria-hudes Connect with Quiara: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by Sarah Aziza to talk about her debut book, The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders. In this memoir, Sarah explores her struggle with anorexia through the lens of her family’s history of violent displacement from Gaza, drawing haunting parallels between her personal and ancestral trauma. We talk about why she wanted to trace these connections, how she uses footnotes to complicate the narrative, and how she sees her work in conversation with those of Black feminist scholars.  The Stacks Book Club pick for November is We the Animals by Justin Torres. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, November 26th, with Mikey Friedman. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/11/12/ep-398-sarah-aziza Connect with Sarah: Instagram | Threads | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by Mikey Friedman, the founder of Page Break, a New York–based, weekend-long retreat centered on community reading. We discuss all things Page Break, including how it came to be, the book selection process, the focus on fiction, and why reading aloud is at the heart of the experience. Plus, tune in for a special announcement. The Stacks Book Club pick for November is We the Animals by Justin Torres. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, November 26th, with Mikey Friedman. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/11/5/ep-397-mikey-friedman Connect with Mikey: Instagram | TikTok Connect with Page Break: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is The Stacks Book Club day, and author Angela Flournoy is back to discuss Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. First published in 1818 and revised in 1831, this Gothic classic tells the tale of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who brings a monstrous creature to life, triggering a series of disastrous consequences. In our conversation, we explore our perceptions of Frankenstein’s monster, the significance of the nesting doll story structure, the book's ghost-story origins, and the novel's evolution from 1818 to 1831. There are spoilers in this episode. Listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our November Book Club pick will be! You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/10/29/ep-396-frankenstein Connect with Angela: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*This is a teaser for this Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode, click here to listen to the full episode* In this bonus episode, I chat with author Kiley Reid for the inside scoop on the Booker Prize, an annual literary award given to the best fiction book written in English and published in the UK and Ireland. As a 2025 judge—and the author of a 2020 Booker Prize-longlisted book—Kiley offers insider knowledge on everything from what makes a "Booker book" to the process of narrowing down the list from 153 titles to one winner. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/10/24/tsu-52-kiley-reid Connect with Kiley: Website | Instagram | Twitter Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by author and journalist Jade Chang to discuss her newest novel, What a Time to Be Alive. This book follows Lola Treasure Gold, a down-on-her-luck 31-year-old balancing accidental internet fame with enduring grief after her speech at her best friend’s wake goes viral. We discuss the book’s 20-year journey, the ways fame and celebrity culture have evolved in that time, and the unexpected pleasures of grief. The Stacks Book Club pick for October is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, October 29th, with our guest Angela Flournoy. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/10/22/ep-395-jade-chang Connect with Jade: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by anthropologist and former wildland firefighter Jordan Thomas. He’s here to discuss his first book, When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World, a gripping exploration of his experience battling a brutal, six-month fire season with the Los Padres Hotshots, an elite force of wildland firefighters. We discuss Jordan’s transition from firefighter to author, what the general public gets wrong about wildfires, and the connection between fires, climate change, and Republican politics. The Stacks Book Club pick for October is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, October 29th, with our guest Angela Flournoy. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/10/15/ep-394-jordan-thomas Connect with Jordan: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by journalist and writer John J. Lennon, who’s currently serving 28 years to life for murder at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He is here to discuss his first book, The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us, which explores society’s fascination with true crime through the personal stories of four convicted murderers, including himself. In our conversation, we dive into how Lennon’s experiences inform his writing, how he maintains focus while in prison, why he doesn’t use prison abolition language in his work, and his anxiety around his new book. The Stacks Book Club pick for October is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, October 29th, with Angela Flournoy returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/10/8/ep-393-john-j-lennon Connect with John: Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on The Stacks we are joined by Angela Flournoy to discuss her new book, The Wilderness. Longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, The Wilderness is an expansive novel that covers the friendship of four black women over the course of twenty years. Today, we discuss maximalism in her writing style, how Angela aimed to write an era-defining novel, and what other works The Wilderness is in conversation with. The Stacks Book Club pick for October is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, October 29th with Angela Flournoy returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/10/1/ep-392-angela-flournoy  Connect with Angela: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is The Stacks Book Club day and we're discussing The Lilac People by Milo Todd. Our guest for today's conversation is editor and author, Denne Michele Norris. The Lilac People follows a trans man and his partner as they attempt to survive Nazi Germany and the aftermath of the Allies’ takeover post-war. Together, we discuss the ways Milo Todd uses history to ground the book and its characters, the ever evolving language surrounding gender and identity, plus the ethical questions that arise in times of war. There are spoilers in this episode. Listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our October Book Club pick will be! You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/9/24/ep-391-the-lilac-people Connect with Denne: Instagram | Podcast Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks we are joined by former Vice President, Kamala Harris. She is here to discuss her brand new book 107 Days, which chronicles her historic run for the presidency in 2024. In our conversation we cover her biggest regrets from Biden to Gaza, how she balanced her instincts with the political polling, and what she sees as the path forward for America. The Stacks Book Club pick for September is The Lilac People by Milo Todd. We will discuss the book on this Wednesday, September 24th with Denne Michele Norris. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/9/23/ep-390-kamala-harris Connect with Kamala: Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Facebook | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode* In this bonus episode, we’re heading down south to Jackson, Mississippi to join friends of the pod, Jason Reynolds and Hanif Abdurraqib, at the Mississippi Book Festival! Together, we celebrate each other's work, fight over the greatest band of all time, and then debate the state of music and literary criticism. You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/9/19/tsu-51-jason-reynolds-hanif-abdurraqib Connect with Jason: Website | Instagram | Twitter Connect with Hanif: Website | Twitter | Facebook Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.