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WSIRN Ep 17: Smart, slightly eccentric, diverse books with Andi Cumbo-Floyd

It’s Tuesday, which means a new episode of What Should I Read Next!

Today I’m talking with Andrea Cumbo-Floyd. Andrea is a writer, teacher, editor, and farmer based in Charlottesville, Virginia.  (“Sometimes more of one of those than the other,” she says.)  She is the author Steele Secrets, Writing Day In and Day Out, and The Slaves Have Names.

Andi and I discuss strong female characters, genre-bending novels, and reading diverse books. Her favorites are all over the place, and she has strong feelings about her hated pick, which makes for a fun conversation.

What Should I Read Next #17: Smart, slightly eccentric, diverse books with Andi Cumbo-Floyd

Connect with Andrea Cumbo-Floyd on her site and twitter.

Books discussed in this episode:

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Head Off and Split by Nikki Finney
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris
The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Dead by James Joyce
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames
When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams
Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams
The Killing Moon by Nora Jemison
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Kindred by Octavia Butler
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Also mentioned in this episode: 

For an adult reader, the possible verdicts are five.
Talking about books I don’t like.
Raising readers, books that find you, and making the library people hate you with Deidra Riggs.

10 comments

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  1. jessica says:

    I would love if you could mark the primary books in the show notes book list. The guest’s 1-3 and hated, and the 3 recommended books. It would make it easier to find the ones I want to add to my list! Thanks! love the podcast!

  2. Thank you, Anne and Andi, for encouraging me to pull The Cloister Walk off my shelf. I’ve owned it for probably fifteen years. Your conversation compelled me to finally pick it up.

    As for a diverse, complex read, I can recommend The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing. It’s about an Indian family that immigrates to the US and the first generation experience. It’s funny, sad, and fascinating.

  3. JoLene says:

    I just discovered your podcast and have gone through 17 episodes in about 2 days !! Love the concept and recommendations and hearing others thoughts on what I’ve already red.

    I would also recommend The Fifth Season by N.K. Jeminsin (I think she goes by her initials instead of first name). It’s the first of a trilogy and was nominated for both a Hugo and Nebula. It also deals with a dystopian future where some people that have special abilities are feared, but needed to control the surroundings.

  4. Heather Irene Parker says:

    So weird. I immediately thought of The Parable of the Sower when she was talking about Who Fears Death. I couldn’t remember the author’s name because I read it back in 9th grade in 1994! It’s amazing how a book you haven’t thought of in years and years can come back to you. Imagine my surprise when you recommended it! I almost woke my 18-month-old sleeping in the backseat with my laugh!

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