Why Kim Kardashian Is the Icon of Our Time with MJ Corey
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I talked with @mjcorey , creator of @kardashian_kolloquium , about the Kardashian family and postmodernism, Kris Jenner as momager, Kim’s star power, and of course MJ’s new book DEKONSTRUCTING THE KARDASHIANS. No, you don’t have to know or like the family to appreciate our chat and this book, I promise.
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What do you think is the most iconic/memorable/important Kardashian moment?
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The episode is live. Be sure to share it with the pop culture lovers in your life.
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#thestackspodcast #authorinterview #mjcorey #dekonstructingthekardashians
Weekend reading looks a little different these days.
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The Minis are very into me reading chapter books out loud to them. I’m very into burgers and fries. Together we can’t be stopped.
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What’re your fave chapter books to read aloud to 6 year olds? Nothing too scary (we all get nightmares).
But seriously, how do you know if a translation is any good?
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I obviously had a lot of burning questions for Daniel Hahn, translator and author of IF THIS BE MAGIC. He’s my guest today on The Stacks Unabridged — a Substack & Patreon exclusive bonus podcast — and he answers all my questions about translation, why he would write a book on translating Shakespeare into 40+ languages, and so much more. This one’s for the nerds.
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This episode is live now. Check out the preview in The Stacks main feed. Subscribe to get the full thing.
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#thestacksunabridged #ifthisbemagic #danielhahn
Surprise! We’re mixing it up a bit with this bonus episode! In episode 178, we’re joined by Traci Thomas of The Stacks podcast to debrief Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel Yesteryear - yes, the book you’ve been seeing all over social media.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎧
#yesteryear #tradwife #bookdiscussion #tradwifelife
THE STACKS WEEKLY REVIEW
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POOL HOUSE||MARY H. K. CHOI
A novel about a mother and daughter, Moon and Stevie, who are navigating grief and their codependence in Hollywood. This book took me on a ride; at the start I loved it, in the middle I was ready to get off, and by the end I fully came back around. Choi is one of our great maximalist writers. She shares every detail with her readers, every morsel they eat every item they wear. Most authors cannot pull off this level of excess, but this is where Choi is at her best. However, sometimes just hanging out with these people felt like a chore. They’re all sorta gross and fucked up in a really human way, not that fun glossy commercial fiction way. But, by the end, the pieces fell into place, and the novel starts to give shades of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, which is my favorite play about people who behave terribly for their own entertainment. It is awfulness kink. Choi’s characters are icky and they make choices that range from a little off to deeply fucked. This book is not for everyone, but it does do what it set out to do, and what Choi does feels uniquely her. If you like cultural references, sitting with people who are selfish, vibes out the wazoo, and minimal plot, you will like this book.
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POOL HOUSE is out on June 9th and I can't wait to hear the conversations around it. If you want more from me, I wrote about the Pulitzers, Met Gala, and grilled cheese in the newsletter, alongside this review.
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#thestacksreview #bookreview #maryhkchoi #poolhouse
LAST•NOW•NEXT
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Have I turned into a fiction girly?!? The answer is sorta yes, and also, sorta no. I am reading these books for real but, I’m also hiding my nonfiction reads from you because it’s mostly been for the Nonfiction Reading Guide (out May 22) and I want to surprise you.
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POOL HOUSE by @choitotheworld is out June 9 and is a mother daughter story about people who are deeply human and deeply ick and hard to turn away from.
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HONEY by @_imani_thompson_ had me rapt. It’s a revenge serial killer novel set in academia and it’s a blast so far.
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LONELY CROWDS by @stephanienjeriwambugu is our May book club pick and I can’t wait to get to this friendship novel. It’s already polarizing among The Stacks Pack
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What’re you reading this weekend?
My favorite thing about talking to @chanda.prescod.weinstein is that she always gives me permission to not know. It’s called science! Ever heard of it?
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Get more brilliance from Chanda and hear about her new book THE EDGE OF SPACE-TIME on this week’s episode of The Stacks.
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#thestackspodcast #chandaprescodweinstein #theedgeofspacetime
The book mail gods are smiling down on me.
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I am neck deep in Nonfiction Reading Guide reads right now (the guide drops 5.22) but as soon as I’m done, here’s where you can find me. Also, do I love a book about a man that has his hands under his chin? I guess I do.
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What’re you reading these days? What’re you looking forward to?
Normalize Bringing Up Quantum Field Theory with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
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Our favorite scientist, @chanda.prescod.weinstein , is in The Stacks this week. She’s talking about her latest book, THE EDGE OF SPACE-TIME, and why she thinks we all should know about complex scientific theory and how she explains it to lay audiences.
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This episode is live on all podcast platforms. Chanda will be back on May 27th to discuss LONELY CROWDS with us for #thestacksbookclub.
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#thestackspodcast #authorinterview #chandaprescodweinstein #theedgeofspacetime
New month. New Books. New Longlist.
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Here are the 20 books out in May I am keeping my eye on. For my absolute priority reading list head to my Substack and peep the shortlist.
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Save this post so you don’t forget what’s coming. Every book I’m looking forward to for the rest of the year is up on my @bookshop_org #teampreorder page.
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Now it’s your turn, which May releases are you most looking forward to?
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#thestackslonglist #thestacks #maybooks #mostanticipatedbooks
Should @mobrowne and I take this bit on the road?
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Catch our full discussion of ROOM SWEPT HOME by @remicawriter it’s live now. This poetry month #thestacksbookclub episode is not to be missed.
THE STACKS WEEKLY REVIEWS
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DEKONSTRUCTING THE KARDASHIANS||MJ COREY
A look at the Kardashian family through a postmodern lens and with the context of media theory and philosophy. I appreciated what the author was trying to do here, the book offers a lot of great concepts to contextualize the Kardashians, however the format did not serve the book. While the content was strong, the organization was confusing. A stronger editor might have been able to clarify the arguments. Corey is a good writer, and the ideas are all there, but the way it all comes to together made the book feel long and disjointed.
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IF THIS BE MAGIC||DANIEL HAHN
Was ever reader in this humor wooed? Was ever reader in this humor won?
A book about translating Shakespeare into other languages is so extremely nerdy and niche, and couldn’t be more my shit. I would not recommend this book to everyone, but if you want to go on a deep, deep dive into the minutiae of translations, this book is incredible. It takes into account the question of fidelity in translations by asking back fidelity to what? The verse? The meaning? The pun? There were times where I felt like this book maybe was a bit too long, and got a bit too in the weeds, but mostly I was enraptured and couldn’t stop sharing tidbits from it with my nerdiest friends.
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Has anyone read either of these? Can someone please come nerd out on the Shakespeare one with me?
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Full reviews, thoughts on hating books, and some cake recipes are all part of today's newsletter.
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#thestacksreviews #bookreviews #dekonstructingthekardashians #ifthisbemagic
