Hi, Should-Heads! Kindred Spirit of the Pod Bekki joins us to discuss books about friendship. We examine the differences between friendship and found family and, of course, a lot of book recs.

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Welcome back Should-Heads! Today we are joined by Dr. Sherna Ann Phillips to discuss more books by Black Authors! This time we are focusing on books that highlight different types of Love. Enjoy!

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Should-Heads, this episode will take you on quite a journey. AI has been increasingly prevalent and controversial of late, and so we talked to author Martha Brockenbrough about what all this means and what, if anything, can be done.

Links mentioned:

No more blurbs: https://lithub.com/in-a-dazzling-move-simon-schuster-is-dropping-their-blurbs-requirement/

Author apologizes for AI gaffe: https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/1i2nt9o/k_c_crowne_and_the_use_of_ai/

Find Martha Brockenbrough online: nothingtonovel.com

Martha’s book on AI: https://bookshop.org/p/books/future-tense-how-we-made-artificial-intelligence-and-how-it-will-change-everything-martha-brockenbrough/19748869?ean=9781250765925&next=t&next=t

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We’ve got a confession, Should-Heads. We’re not perfect. Our friend Christa joined us to discuss our bad book habits. We listen and we don’t judge (mostly).

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Should-Heads, have you ever wondered what’s wrong with Kelly? (It’s okay; she wonders too.)

This episode answers that question.

DISCLAIMER: Please forgive our sound and editing mishaps this episode - we were having some technical difficulties. We love you, Should-heads!

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Well, Should-Heads, we’re finally doing our last Zodiac recommendations, so if you’re a Taurus, Leo or Aquarius, you’ll want to take some notes.

Links mentioned: Neil Gaiman.

Vulture posted an article where they spoke with four of the five women who have accused Neil Gaiman of sexually assaulting them. The article is explicit in spelling out their accusations. https://www.vulture.com/article/neil-gaiman-allegations-controversy-amanda-palmer-sandman-madoc.html

Book Riot discussed it here https://bookriot.com/neil-gaiman-sexual-assault-victims-speak-out-vulture/

Some of his upcoming projects have been canceled; another Vulture article discusses which projects are canceled or otherwise changing. https://www.vulture.com/article/neil-gaiman-allegations-adaptations.html

We’ve discussed this before, but it’s a conversation that definitely could stand to be revisited. What are your thoughts on separating the art from the artist? Does it matter what the accusations are? For example, is it acceptable to stay a JK Rowling fan, because IN MY OPINION she’s just an unhinged billionaire with deeply problematic beliefs? Is it only a problem if actual crimes are reportedly committed?
And how should we weigh all of this when none of this art exists in a vacuum? Some of the people who work on JK Rowling’s books or TV/movie offerings are almost certainly trans. And the money generated by her books and movies would definitely go toward releasing books that deal with trans issues in a better and more accurate manner (as opposed to believing that every trans woman is just a man in a dress waiting to rape women in public bathrooms). How do we decide what to do here?

And to end with GOOD book news, the movie Sing Sing is the first movie to get released in theaters and in correctional facilities. (It’ll be distributed to 1,100 facilities). The movie’s a true story about incarcerated men in Sing Sing who formed a theater group. Some of the movie’s cast were men who were in that troupe. https://bookriot.com/sing-sing-film-release-theaters-and-prisons/

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Should-Heads, you know how much we love pop culture. It’s probably our favorite thing (except for books, obviously). Our friend Kristine came back to discuss our favorite books centering around pop culture (both nonfiction and fiction and dealing with any facet of pop culture).

Links mentioned: Emily Henry’s Having a Moment

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We hate to admit this, Should-Heads, but we can’t read everything.

Today, Rachael and Kelly are joined by their friend Amanda to discuss the books they haven’t read. What are some of your overdue books?

Links Mentioned:

• Fable controversy
• Fable site
• Bookly
• Goodreads
• Storygraph

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