The Stacks

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by author Shannon Sanders to discuss her debut novel, The Great Wherever. This book follows Aubrey Lamb, a young Black woman who inherits her late father’s share of a Tennessee farm filled with family history, secrets, and the ghosts of her ancestors. We talk about why she chose to use a ghost as her narrator, how she transitioned from writing a short story collection to an epic family novel, and her process for researching and planning the book's scope.
Our book club pick for July is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. We will be discussing the book with Julianna Haubner on Wednesday, July 29th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/7/8/ep-432-shannon-sanders
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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by book editor, Julianna Haubner. Julianna is an executive editor at Flatiron Books, where she acquires narrative nonfiction, history, pop culture, and social science books. We chat about her job as an editor, what she looks for in a proposal, who gets to write narrative nonfiction, and her surprising choice for her most-hated book.
Our book club pick for July is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. We will be discussing the book with Julianna Haubner on Wednesday, July 29th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/7/1/ep-431-julianna-haubner
Connect with Julianna: Instagram
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today is The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re joined by bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi (Pool House) to discuss our June pick, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This allegorical novel follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy whose quest from Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of buried treasure transforms into a life-changing journey of self-discovery. We discuss the book’s legacy, how it relates to the cultural phenomena of “girl boss” and “the manosphere,” and which parts we loved and hated.
There are spoilers in this episode.
Make sure you listen to the end of the episode to find out our July book club pick!
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/6/24/ep-430-the-alchemist
Connect with Mary: Instagram | Threads | Substack | Website
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*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*
Now that we’re officially halfway through 2026, it’s time for a little mid-year book check-in with friends of the pod, Cree Myles (All Ways Black) and Sara Hildreth (Fiction Matters)! Together, we gush about the books we loved (and hated) from the first half of the year, the titles we’re most excited for in the second half of the year, and all the bookish trends defining 2026. Get ready for lots of reading inspo, juicy hot takes, and of course, book gossip.
You can find links to everything we discuss on today’s show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2026/6/19/tsu-60-sara-hildreth-cree-myles
Connect with Cree: Instagram | Twitter | All Ways Black | Patreon
Connect with Sara: Instagram | Fiction Matters | Novel Pairings | Substack
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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning independent journalist and author Justine van der Leun to talk about her newest book, Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival. Based on seven years of reporting, research, and interviews with over 1000 incarcerated women, this book explores criminalized survival—a phenomenon in which people who defend themselves against abuse are subsequently prosecuted and even imprisoned—through the stories of three women who had to kill their attackers to survive. We talk about how Justine came to these types of stories, the details of the survey she conducted, and what she looked for in the women she spotlighted.
The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. We’ll be discussing the book with Mary H.K. Choi on Wednesday, June 24th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/6/17/ep-429-justine-van-der-leun
Connect with Justine: Website | Instagram | Threads | TikTok
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.