Lit Society: Books and Drama

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Elena Richardson is a life-long resident of Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. It's a place where everything, from the color of residents' homes to the futures of their children, are approved by the always watching community. In this structured environment, Mrs. Richardson lives by the rules, attributing her success to her compliance. Everything is going to plan until a tenant moves into her rental property and makes Elena question everything she thought she knew. That tenant is Mia Warren. The book is Little Fires Everywhere. 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.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

A short, punchy novel that, according to Goodreads, "finally puts the 'pissed' back into epistolary." Dear Committee Members gives a full look into the late middle-age life of one Jason Fitger. Fitger is the professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University, a small Midwest university that treats its Economics staff like royalty but its English faculty like dinosaurs who have stayed far past their extension. In the twilight of his career, he is facing regrets, both romantically and professionally. These frustrations he percolates into a brewing hot cup of sarcasm, pettiness, and reflection through a series of never-ending letters of recommendation that he is tasked with writing by his peers and students. According to the author, our protagonist is like a Quixote figure — lacking common sense and personal and diplomatic skills but continuing to fight. It is the perfect book for people who watch reruns of Frasier on HULU. The theme this week: How to Write a Letter. 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 Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Under the always watching gaze of eyes above plays out a scene full of gaudiness and glamour. On this side of the earth, privileged people roam the ground aimlessly in search of their next distraction. It is on this stage that one man has spent his life trying to be a player and has spent his money trying to earn the love of one woman, Daisy Buchanan.⁣Like vegetables and Justin Timberlake, this novel’s likability changed drastically in our eyes as we got older. As kids, we were on Gatsby’s side. Gatsby’s end cast a murky shadow on the entire book. Of course, we were wrong. Our theme this week is Rosy Retrospection and How to Get Over an Ex. Relatable, no? Enjoy the show, and when you’re done listening, let us know if your view of this book has changed since childhood. Comment below or find us on social media @litsocietypod! 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 Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Hyde yo’ kids! Hyde yo’ wife! A young doctor allows his obsession with the duality of human nature to lead him down a path littered with lies, murder, and destruction. His name is Doctor Henry Jekyll; the book is the Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; you’re listening to Lit Society...While quarantined, we're excited to share with you this, our very first episode, originally released to a small group of test listeners in 2019. We like to think the quality of our show has improved since then, but this is still one of our favorite episodes! 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.⁣

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Boom. So, listen. Eight people were invited to the LITTIEST party weekend ever. This fete-of-a-lifetime was on a private island in this bomb mansion, all expenses paid, all the Honey Jack they wanted, three billion count sheets, a private cook, and a butler. Needless to say, everyone invited was down. But then things got crazy. Like, ketchup on a hotdog crazy. This getaway isn’t all it’s cracked up to be because one of the guests is a murderer. PLOT TWIST! Will anyone survive? We’re reading this, one of our favorite mystery novels of all time, while under quarantine. So the sound quality is a bit suburban. Take it up with Coronita. For our theme, we’re sharing free ways to get books while under house arrest because of Coronavirus. We’ll get through this together, ya’ll! 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 Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (Part 2)

It’s one of our favorite episodes ever! Join us for this thrilling conclusion to the rich stories of Ida Mae Gladney, George Swanson Starling, and Dr. Robert Joseph Pershing Foster — the three Black-American migrants we’ve followed from the South in part one. We’re peppering in the prose of Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, whose prolific careers are making their mark around this time. Our theme of the week, Why Our Families Left the South, is also continued as we interview our grandparents and great-grandparents for their tales from The Great Migration. There’s a lot to take in, but, as always, there’s still room for laughter. ⁣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 Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (Part 1)

The Coronavirus has nothing on Antebellum and Jim Crow south. This was America: Thousands of white families, including men, women, and children, standing for hours to watch Black Americans be dismembered or burned alive for such crimes as "acting white" and stealing .75 cents. In this environment, Black citizens are not allowed to walk too tall, speak too confidently, create art uninhibitedly, or say who cannot speak abuses at their children.  Over the course of 6 decades, more than 6 million people fled the insanity of Jim Crow for their lives and their sanity during a period known as The Great Migration. This week's book follows the story of three strangers, all making their way North, searching for the warmth of other suns. We are inspired by this work of nonfiction to learn why our own families fled the south and under what conditions, for this week's themed discussion. We also give a brief overview of the path from slavery to reconstruction to Jim Crow to the Civil Rights movement. It's like the LITTIEST history lesson ever! 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.

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers

Is fear the hairline to your inner Lebron James? Does it stop you from being great? Do you sometimes hear a negative voice inside of your head telling you you're not good enough? One psychologist wants you to take control of that voice with a system of positive thinking that leads to power. Her name is Susan Jeffers. The book is Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. 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.

Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White

This week we’re skipping YA and going all the way to the baby book aisle for a lovable true tale (who knows. Maybe.) about a farm, an intelligent spider, and a piglet with a heart of gold. Truth be told, we selected this book to give our brains a break this week. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find our hearts sincerely moved by this classic, Charlette’s Web, by E.B. White. This week’s book also got us to thinking: “Why have we never read this story? What were we reading while all the other kids were reading this?” Hence, our theme of the week was born: The books that Shaped our Childhoods. So gather around kids, it’s about to get silly! 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.
 

Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid

Such a Fun Age is a story contrasting who we are as individuals against the role society has cast us to play. It follows Emira Tucker, a black 25-year-old who feels she's failing at adult life, and her white 30-something boss Alix who teeters around her own looming failures. As the two make efforts to dissolve their differences, a shocking realization shows the futility of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. And speaking of the “A” word, ADULTING, we’ll share some expert tips on how to grow up successfully, which we both are still figuring out how to do. 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.