Lit Society: Books and Drama

"Every decision you make contributes to your character and shapes the kind of person you are." This week we remember not to forget as we discuss tips for improving our short and long-term memories. Then, we dive into one of the most talked-about science fiction novels of the last decade. It's a collection of brilliantly detailed short stories that allow us to time travel, swap lungs, question fact, faith, and our very existence. The agent for this adventure is Ted Chiang. The book is Exhalation. 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.

Before we get into this week's book, we discuss forgiveness. Can you imagine? What does it take to forgive someone, and how do you know you've genuinely forgiven a person in your heart? Also, why do we need to be forgiving in the first place? We'll get into it. And then it's on to the book that inspired this week's discussion. It's the early 1900s, and one quiet woman lives a happy life with her happy husband on a beautiful farm in Iowa. All is as it should be until a single act of betrayal puts her at odds against everyone she knows and trusts. That woman's name is Margaret Stewart. The book is Remembering Laughter, 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.

Like an extraterrestrial attack, Coronavirus has overrun and uprooted our lives.  We start our discussion with a brief chat about ways to overcome Coronavirus induces anxiety. Then, it's time to get into some delicious YA literature: Ilori, highly-intelligent and resourceful aliens from a distant planet, have invaded earth. In New York City, under the threat of death, one beautiful teenage girl runs a secret library. Her mission is to help her community escape the terror around them with stories that remind them of the past and inspire them to continue living despite the present. One day, she notices a book missing from her hidden collection. It has her name inside and could expose her to the aliens. Who took it? The answer leads to a road trip that could save the world. The girl's name is Janelle Baker. The book is The Sound of Stars. 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.

Having abandoned her husband and son, one woman lives life one train ride at a time with her beautiful beau and new baby girl — but her decision to risk it all for "love" isn't without consequences. Will following her heart lead this woman to peace, misery, or the greatest happiness? The woman's name: Anna. And it's time to enjoy part 2 of Anna Karenina. Before diving in, we discuss the "power of the middle", for our theme of the week. Need the motivation to complete a huge project? Feeling drained? This one's for you! 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.

This week, Alexis makes Kari read the world's longest book (just kidding), written by a man some consider to be the greatest author of all time (not kidding). The setting is 19th century Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the countryside. Noblemen and women are eating, drinking, marrying, living. Among these aristocrats stands one woman who personifies beauty and grace. This woman catches the eye of an equally attractive officer. Driven by an undeniable chemistry, the two start down a path of deception and destruction from which neither may recover. The officer's name is Alexei Vronsky. The woman's name is Anna Karenina, and this is part one of our two-part episode. Before diving in, we discuss the usefulness of healthy distractions and learn how to escape in ways that don't destroy us. 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.

Hey, all you glee gals and geeks! We're bringing a very special episode to you this week — Hamilton the Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda! We know, we know. Last episode, we said we were taking the week off to read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Rest assured, we're reading every bit of that billion-page book, but we've still got time to gush over one of our favorite musicals of all time. Did you know that without Hamilton, there would be no Lit Society Podcast? In the summer of 2019, we started a real-life book club because Alexis wanted to read Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow before seeing the musical in London's West End. The rest is history, much like this, the story of a founding father without a father who got a lot farther by working a lot harder and being a self-starter. Listen to this before or after watching the film on Disney Plus. 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.  

Our first comic book! And what's more — it's non-fiction! It inspires this week's theme: How to Survive a Crisis. One girl, the beloved only child of progressive parents, is sent her to school in Austria. Her parents hope that she'll escape what they saw as the oppressive regime of Iran. This comic is the story of her childhood, growing up in a time of war and revolution. Together, she and her country must decide who they're supposed to be and who they actually are. The girl's name — Marjane Satrapi. The book — Persepolis. 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.

From the projects to Paris: One woman's brutally honest story about surviving the vices of her neighborhood, only to be thrust into a world that neither wants nor accepts her is a sobering reminder of the disparities plaguing citizens of a nation still ignoring its history. Her undying drive to be recognized takes her in and out of ivy league schools, prisons, and psychiatric hospitals until she's finally drawn across the ocean to expatriation and rebirth. The woman's name — Janet McDonald. The book — Project Girl. 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.

What is love? Baby, don't hurt me.   Alicia Berenson is a beautiful, brilliant painter married to one of the best looking fashion photographers in the world. Her life is seemingly perfect, which is why it is so unbelievable that she'd shoot her husband five times in the face and then refuse ever to speak again. What really happened to push her over the edge? It becomes the mission of psychotherapist Theo Faber to find the answer. Will he succeed without losing himself in the process?   Before diving into this week's book, Alexis gives eight reasons why every one of us should be keeping a journal. We remember experiences better when we write them down (travel journal) and eat more thoughtfully when we jot down what we've put in our mouth (a food journal). Above all else, though, a journal can be a great way to get back at people posthumously (it will all make sense. Promise).   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.

Growing up in rural Mississippi, one woman watches helplessly as five men close to her die over the span of 5 years. Through the pain and confusion, she sees clearly what facilitated the demise of each family member and friend — a system built on the foundations of racism and economic turmoil. She decides to tell their stories. Her writing is evidence that these living, loving bodies existed. Before covering this week's book, we're getting into a topic close to home — how to cope with grief. Feel that gaping hole in your stomach, the ache that just won't go away? It may be grief. We'll share with you what's helped us make it through some of the worse moments of our lives. 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.