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WSIRN Ep 129: Tips and tricks for distracted readers (and listeners)

Readers, do you remember the name Osheta Moore? Reach wayyy back in the WSIRN archives, and you’ll find her in episode 7 talking about uplifting books, fanfiction, writing her first book, and the importance of what she calls her Brown Girl’s Bookshelf. Between 2016 and today, Osheta’s creative projects have blossomed in beautiful ways, so today I’m catching up with her to find out about the podcast that was just a baby project when we first chatted, Osheta’s perfect library haul formula, how a reading life can change in 2 years, and how that one especially important bookshelf has grown over time. 

This episode is a joy! I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do.

What Should I Read Next #Tips and tricks for distracted readers (and listeners) with Osheta Moore

Connect with Osheta Moore: Website | Podcast | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 

Books mentioned in this episode:
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•  Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World, by Osheta Moore (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything, by Anne Bogel (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  One Big Rain: Poems for a Rainy Day, by Rita Gray (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi ADeyemi (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  The Talented Ribkins, by Ladee Hubbard (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith, by Stuart Murray (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Born A Crime, by Trevor Noah (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, by Austin Channing Brown (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  The Wedding Date, by Jasmine Guillory (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories that are Funny, Complicated, and True, by Gabrielle Union (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  How To Fix a Broken Record: Thoughts on Vinyl Records, Awkward Relationships, and Learning to Be Myself, by Amena Owen Brown (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint, by Nadia Bolz-Weber (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person, by Shonda Rhimes (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Attachments: A Novel, by Rainbow Rowell (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, by Issa Rae (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  How It Went Down, by Kekla Magoon (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  The Light of the World: A Memoir, by Elizabeth Alexander (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Love is the Drug, by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
•  Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)

Also mentioned: 
•  Shalom Sistas podcast
•  Sorta Awesome podcast
•  Black Chick Lit podcast
•  WSIRN Ep 88: Overlooked books that deserve to shine, featuring Amena Brown

Readers, we’re starting to add events to the calendar for summer and fall 2018, and when we’re ready to go public our newsletter subscribers will be the first ones to know Make sure you’re on the list so YOU stay in the know:

What would YOU recommend Osheta read next? Tell us all about it in comments. 

10 comments

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  1. Susan in TX says:

    I was a little confused by this episode – did Osheta not want updated recommendations? Loved the recs she gives at the beginning of the conversation, though!

  2. I enjoyed this episode listening to Osheta. I’ve been reading lots of books by women authors the last couple of years and I want to expand my reading to more women of color, and from different nations around the world. Thanks for the suggestions.

    I just wanted to say that I have the opposite feeling about movies and books. I like to watch the movie first then read the book. Maybe it’s because I watched and discussed movies with my father when I was a teenager. Those are beloved memories. I’ve discovered I’m a visual learner, so when I read the book after seeing the movie, I have pictures in my mind to enhance my reading experience. Plus, I love getting more detail from the book than can be fit into a two hour movie. I’d rather be excited about all the new information in the book, than disappointed by what the film makers had to cut because of time restraints.

    • Adrienne Hudson says:

      Lucinda – I love your perspective on books vs. movies! I also like to read (or re-read) the book after seeing the film. One more reason is that when I know how the story turns out, I don’t feel pressured to rush through the book to know what happens.

      Adrienne

      • Adrenne, Thanks. I’ve discovered some great books and authors that way. I’m a big fan of TCM and have read books that classic movies are based on, as well as more modern movie/book connections. I might never have read any Jane Austen, for example, if not for Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Watching the mini-series versions of ShĹŤgun and Roots prompted me to read the books. It’s fun to compare both, or sometimes multiple versions of a movie to the book.

  3. Cynthia Weiner says:

    I just blew threw a bunch of episodes of the podcast and on one of them, Anne mentions a book about a man who walks out of him family one day to go run an errand and never comes back. Does anybody remember which book this was? I cannot for the life of me remember exactly which episode of the podcast this was mentioned and I want to find/read this book! Thanks for your help.

  4. Elaine says:

    I was a bit confused by this episode as well! This seemed like an odd way to recycle on an old interview?

  5. Jennifer says:

    I have some suggestions for her Black bookshelf: “My Journey With Maya” by Travis Smiley, a memoir of his friendship with Maya Angelo, and “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times Of Madam C.J. Walker” by A’Lelia Bundles, a biography of an amazing female entrepreneur born in 1867.

  6. Debbie Klein says:

    I heard your interview with Osheta and I was a little upset about her thoughts on The Help. I don’t think she gave an objective view because she is African American. I would have liked her to say if she thought it was a well done movie. I am not talking about the book. I thought both of them were wonderful.The acting in the movie was terrific and I think you should watch it Anne.You didn’t ask her but I would be curious if the fact that the Black women were maids made her not like the movie. That is what it seemed like

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