May I Recommend?

Book Revolutions

July 15, 2021 04:05 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MB

It’s July, a month of movements, foment, and, increasingly, reflection. Claire and Linda’s relationship to revolutions on the page is the inspiration behind this episode, and we have some Roman candles in our midst (in a good way). Listen for some takes on titles that burn bright while bucking tradition in form and content. Books discussed during the episode: Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder Cloud Cuckooland by Anthony Doerr Variations on the Body by María Ospina Oreo by Fran Ross Kink:...

Hot Book Summer, aka, Waxed, Vaxed and Paperbacks

June 17, 2021 04:05 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MB

Claire and Linda were each inspired to bring four saucy summer reading picks (plus some honorable mentions) to discuss in May I Recommend’s first-ever minisode! Shout-out to Union Jack’s in Glenside, PA for their buffalo wing menu spice-level spectrum, which we borrowed for our own book-ranking purposes: Mild, Medium, Hot, and Suicidal (oh my). Whether you’re vay or staycationing this summer, we think these options will serve as a perfect complement to some well-deserved R&R. Books discus...

Abandoning Books (...with Abandon)

June 03, 2021 04:05 - 36 minutes - 33 MB

Now it’s Linda’s turn to occupy the hot seat: Claire unpacks Linda’s habit of abandoning books she begins and can’t finish for one reason or another. These failures generally fall under the following three Categories of Abandonment: Meh: Flippantly/dispassionately tosses book aside Hit the eject button!: Violently flings book aside with revulsion, boredom, and/or deep frustration Why did I deny myself this experience?: Reluctanctly and with great shame places book gently aside while re...

The Ritual of Returning to Books

May 27, 2021 04:05 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MB

Claire and Linda discuss the sublime experience of reading something that resonates with you so deeply that you return to the book as often as possible--in other words, you make it a reading ritual. If you are lucky enough to encounter a book that moves you when you are young and begin a ritual of rereading that book year after year, you can enjoy an evolving relationship with the text, much like enjoying the evolution of personal relationships. In this episode, we unpack why Linda does not ...

Back to School

September 16, 2020 19:36 - 36 minutes - 49.9 MB

As the country experiences the first wave of school re-openings during the pandemic, Claire and Linda discuss the importance of home libraries for parents who have suddenly also become educators. We talk about organizations like Tree House Books that are providing resources to families and recommend books for different stages of development. Books recommended during the show are listed below. For more suggestions like these, peruse our online store here. Ages 4-6 I Talk Like a R...

Claire's Fall Favorites (Guessed by Linda)

September 01, 2020 20:27 - 33 minutes - 46.3 MB

The tables have turned, but the stakes are no lower: Linda is now in the hot seat as she guesses Claire's Top Five Most Anticipated books pubbing this fall, the bulk of which are gracing digital and physical shelves this September. Listen to find out if Linda can maintain her status as both friend and bookstore business partner. Books recommended during the show and more are listed below. For more suggestions like these, peruse our online store here. The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferra...

Jenny Zhang and Hard Conversations

August 14, 2020 15:01 - 42 minutes - 59 MB

Claire and Linda discuss the amazing work and engagement they are witnessing in their Philadelphia literary community by Black-owned bookstores like Harriett's Bookshop and Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books. We also talk about poet Jenny Zhang's brilliant dialogue on resisting the tendency to define a group or individual by their most painful trauma and reading books that engender empathy and prime you to take action. Books recommended during the show and more are listed below. For more sugg...

Spring 2020 Recs Recap!

July 11, 2020 13:46 - 20 minutes - 28.7 MB

The stakes could not be higher: Can best buds who also run a bookstore guess one another’s top five books pubbing in spring 2020 that they are most excited to read? Failing to do so might mean reevaluating both their chosen profession and abiding friendship, so tune in to see if all’s well that ends well. Note: Linda erroneously refers to the short story collection F*ckface by Leah Hampton as a novel, but this in no way diminishes her eagerness to read the collection as soon as possible. ...

Weather by Jenny Offill and Untamed by Glennon Doyle

July 11, 2020 13:45 - 33 minutes - 46.1 MB

Claire and Linda talk about two books that have made a major impact since we received them in store, one an experimental novel and one a memoir, both posing questions we can’t stop thinking about. Weather by Jenny Offill asks if you can still just tend your own garden once you know about the fire (read: climate crisis) outside its walls while Doyle’s memoir wonders if we can be both “held and free” as she relays her journey from a conservative christian background to writing entering into a ...

Bookshop.org: The Nerd Stock Market

July 11, 2020 13:38 - 31 minutes - 43.2 MB

Claire and Linda discuss their connection as indie booksellers to Bookshop.org (aka, The Nerd Stock Market (well, only to us), which has raised almost $5 million for local bookstores since launching at the beginning of 2020. We sing the platform’s praises, including the ability to feature curated lists like Split This Rock Founding Director Sarah Browning’s Pandemic Poetry picks, with a focus on collections by poets from populations most grievously affected by COVID-19 and by the policies...

May I Recommend? (Trailer)

May 27, 2020 18:49 - 1 minute - 6.2 MB

On May I Recommend, booksellers Linda Gallant and Claire Moncla fire off recommendations about what you should be reading right now, talk about books we love, and discuss literary culture from the perspective of our deeply nerdy perch behind the register. A joint project of RADIOKISMET and The Head & The Hand Books.

Episodes