Announcing our February 2026 Book: Atonement, by Ian McEwan!

In this episode ,Tava, Brett, and Alex tackle their first book of 2026, The Sellout by Paul Beatty. In addition to a discussion about racism in America, the group also talks about their recent trips to the movie theater, Brett and Tava's expedition to Bennington, and Alex's love of hotels.

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To Read: The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy

To Read: Tell Me Lies, by Carola Lovering

To Do: Go to the movies!

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Tune in next week for our episode on The Sellout, by Paul Beatty.

In this episode, the TNBC crew names names. Tava, Brett, and Alex work through some of the worst moments in their book lives - lending out books and not getting them back, borrowing books and ruining the copy, and dividing up books at the end of a relationship. Tune in also for Alex's many accents, Brett & Tava's laundry squabble, and a Christmas decoration tragedy.

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To Subscribe: Personal Canon by Celine Nguyen

To Witch: Llewellyn's 2026 Witches' Calendar

To Watch: Sean Combs, The Reckoning

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Intro Music: evandean.wav by madmerv -- https://freesound.org/s/690635/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

January's Book Club Book: The Sellout, by Paul Beatty

In this episode, Tava, Brett, and Alex do a deep dive into one of their favorite books, The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. Careful to avoid spoilers, the crew talks about how the book was written, the sensation is caused, and the woman who launched herself into literary stardom.

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To Buy: New York Times 2026 Cooking Calendar

To Embrace: Winter! (What Scandinavians Can Teach Us About Embracing Winter)

To Watch: Eternity

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Intro Music: evandean.wav by madmerv -- https://freesound.org/s/690635/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Announcing Our January 2026 Book: The Sellout by Paul Beatty!

In this episode, Tava, Brett, and Alex work together to create the definitive ranking of TNBC's book club books. They also reveal the best books they read this year outside of the book club, and talk about what they have planned for season 2!

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Intro Music: evandean.wav by madmerv -- https://freesound.org/s/690635/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

In their final book club episode of 2025, Tava, Brett, and Alex discuss The White Hot, by Quiara Alegría Hudes. For the first time in a while, the book elicits some different opinions, leading to an interesting and at times heated discussion about motherhood, abandonment, and what we expect out of realistic fiction. Tune in next week to hear the team rank this year's book club books and to learn what their theme will be for 2026!

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To See: A Total Eclipse

To Watch: Four Christmases

To Buy: Keychron V6 Keyboard

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Like any good holiday party, this one gets weird. What began as an innocent idea - cook a dish inspired by a book or story - devolves into a conversation about Stranger Things, grocery stores, couches, and AI.

In case you missed it because we barely mentioned it, Brett brought cucumber sandwiches (Alice in Wonderland), Tava brought Pasta Puttanesca (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Alex brought Knickerbocker Glory (Harry Potter) and Jeremy made a Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Tune in next week for our conversation about The White Hot, by Quiara Alegría Hudes!

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ORDER OUR DECEMBER BOOK: ⁠⁠The White Hot, by Quiara-Alegra Hudes⁠⁠

To help unravel the secrets of The Big Apple, Tava, Brett, and Alex flew in someone who knows a thing or two about art, culture, the gay scene, and sweat. In this episode, Sam Whitney regretfully informs the gang that Brandon Taylor was pretty accurate in his depiction of NYC in November's book, Minor Black Figures. He patiently explains what it is like to live in America's biggest and most important city, compares it to his time in San Francisco, and doesn't get upset when Alex says she hates his adopted home.

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To Cook: Celery, cream cheese, and olives

To Read: Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

To Do: Go to the movies!

To Cook: Jalapeño, cream cheese, and cranberry dip

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Intro Music: evandean.wav by madmerv -- https://freesound.org/s/690635/ -- License: Attribution 4.0