Lit Society: Books and Drama

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Part 2)

Having abandoned her husband and son, one woman lives life one train ride at a time with her beautiful beau and new baby girl — but her decision to risk it all for "love" isn't without consequences. Will following her heart lead this woman to peace, misery, or the greatest happiness? The woman's name: Anna. And it's time to enjoy part 2 of Anna Karenina. Before diving in, we discuss the "power of the middle", for our theme of the week. Need the motivation to complete a huge project? Feeling drained? This one's for you! Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Part 1)

This week, Alexis makes Kari read the world's longest book (just kidding), written by a man some consider to be the greatest author of all time (not kidding). The setting is 19th century Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the countryside. Noblemen and women are eating, drinking, marrying, living. Among these aristocrats stands one woman who personifies beauty and grace. This woman catches the eye of an equally attractive officer. Driven by an undeniable chemistry, the two start down a path of deception and destruction from which neither may recover. The officer's name is Alexei Vronsky. The woman's name is Anna Karenina, and this is part one of our two-part episode. Before diving in, we discuss the usefulness of healthy distractions and learn how to escape in ways that don't destroy us. This is LIT Society. Let's get LIT! ... Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

BONUS! Hamilton the Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hey, all you glee gals and geeks! We're bringing a very special episode to you this week — Hamilton the Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda! We know, we know. Last episode, we said we were taking the week off to read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Rest assured, we're reading every bit of that billion-page book, but we've still got time to gush over one of our favorite musicals of all time. Did you know that without Hamilton, there would be no Lit Society Podcast? In the summer of 2019, we started a real-life book club because Alexis wanted to read Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow before seeing the musical in London's West End. The rest is history, much like this, the story of a founding father without a father who got a lot farther by working a lot harder and being a self-starter. Listen to this before or after watching the film on Disney Plus. Enjoy! ... Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.
 

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Our first comic book! And what's more — it's non-fiction! It inspires this week's theme: How to Survive a Crisis. One girl, the beloved only child of progressive parents, is sent her to school in Austria. Her parents hope that she'll escape what they saw as the oppressive regime of Iran. This comic is the story of her childhood, growing up in a time of war and revolution. Together, she and her country must decide who they're supposed to be and who they actually are. The girl's name — Marjane Satrapi. The book — Persepolis. This is LIT Society. Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Project Girl by Janet McDonald

From the projects to Paris: One woman's brutally honest story about surviving the vices of her neighborhood, only to be thrust into a world that neither wants nor accepts her is a sobering reminder of the disparities plaguing citizens of a nation still ignoring its history. Her undying drive to be recognized takes her in and out of ivy league schools, prisons, and psychiatric hospitals until she's finally drawn across the ocean to expatriation and rebirth. The woman's name — Janet McDonald. The book — Project Girl. This is LIT Society. Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

What is love? Baby, don't hurt me.
 
Alicia Berenson is a beautiful, brilliant painter married to one of the best looking fashion photographers in the world. Her life is seemingly perfect, which is why it is so unbelievable that she'd shoot her husband five times in the face and then refuse ever to speak again. What really happened to push her over the edge? It becomes the mission of psychotherapist Theo Faber to find the answer. Will he succeed without losing himself in the process?
 
Before diving into this week's book, Alexis gives eight reasons why every one of us should be keeping a journal. We remember experiences better when we write them down (travel journal) and eat more thoughtfully when we jot down what we've put in our mouth (a food journal). Above all else, though, a journal can be a great way to get back at people posthumously (it will all make sense. Promise).
 
Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward

Growing up in rural Mississippi, one woman watches helplessly as five men close to her die over the span of 5 years. Through the pain and confusion, she sees clearly what facilitated the demise of each family member and friend — a system built on the foundations of racism and economic turmoil. She decides to tell their stories. Her writing is evidence that these living, loving bodies existed. Before covering this week's book, we're getting into a topic close to home — how to cope with grief. Feel that gaping hole in your stomach, the ache that just won't go away? It may be grief. We'll share with you what's helped us make it through some of the worse moments of our lives. Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson

Our first YA novel (!!!) tackles racial, economical, and social disparities between the connected members of one city. It follows Jade, a smart girl from a poor neighborhood, who attends high school with the children of Portland's upper-class families. She constantly struggles to find herself, her place, and her voice, in a world bent on ignoring her. She is on the brink of adulthood, trying to figure out who she is and who she can trust. Recommended by a friend, Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson transported us back to high school and made us reexamine the choices we made then, and the ones we're making now. Before dissecting the book, we get into the theme of the week — mentors. What makes a good mentor? How can we get the most from mentors in our life? Alexis shares some tips she's learned from heading a mentor program and offers secrets shared by the experts. We're growing up ya'll! ... Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

A beautiful woman from the south side of Chicago sits alone in her garden ready to evaluate the sum of her life. We follow her to the upstairs one-bedroom apartment she shared with her parents and brother, as a child. She then takes us to the moment when her mom stood as her champion in the second grade. We sit in on the meeting she had with a high school counselor who told her she wasn’t good enough before even knowing her. It is in each moment that we learn more about this woman, who she is, and what drives her. Eventually, we follow her to the moment that would shape her life forever, when she met one man, and that man challenged her to question her very purpose. That woman’s name is Michelle Obama. The book is Becoming, and you’re listening to LIT Society. Let’s get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A naïve and homely young woman in her early 20s escapes a future devoid of opportunity and excitement by marrying a wealthy widower named Maxim de Winter. She soon learns the memory of his dead wife haunts both him and his entire world. The book is Rebecca. You’re listening to Lit Society. Let’s get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.