Bookish: A Casual Book Club Archive
Discover your next literary adventure with HCC English professors Kofi Adisa, Sylvia Lee, and Laura Yoo! Dive into thought-provoking discussions about books and get expert recommendations for your next captivating read. Fuel your imagination and expand your literary horizons with these insightful educators
Episodes
We often treat imagination like a luxury, but Ruha Benjamin argues it’s a battlefield. In this episode, Sylvia, Kofi, and Laura glimpse into Imagination: A Manifesto to discuss how we can deprogram ourselves from "dominant imaginaries" and start worldbuilding for the collective good. From dismantling oppressive systems to the "quiet acts of rebellion," they explore Benjamin's ideas of how to dream a better world into reality.
Fo...
In this episode, Sylvia, Kofi, and Laura examine S.A. Cosby's haunting and visceral masterpiece, All the Sinners Bleed. As Titus Crown navigates his role as the first Black sheriff in a small Virginia town, he is forced to confront the town's buried secrets and his own complicated history. Join Bookish as they discuss this provocative exploration of faith, systemic corruption, and a trail of gruesome ritualistic murders that test t...
Get ready to spill the tea on literary snobbery! This episode of Bookish: A Casual Book Club, Laura, Kofi, and Sylvia dive into the often-murky waters of "high brow" vs. "low brow" literature. Is it the Pulitzer, the plot, or the price tag that dictates a book's perceived worth? Join the crew for a lively discussion that might just change how you look at the books on your own shelf.
P.S. Every book lover should read what they love,...
This month Bookish takes on S. A. Cosby's gripping crime thriller, Razorblade Tears. After their gay sons are brutally murdered, two ex-cons from vastly different worlds must set aside their prejudice and partner up to confront their shared tragedy. Join Sylvia, Kofi, and Laura as they explore race, sexuality, and classism in this powerful, relentless story of grief, fatherhood, redemption, and a desperate pursuit of justice in the...
The summer is over, the pages are settled, and it's time for Bookish to check in! In this highly anticipated follow-up episode, Sylvia, Kofi, and Laura revisit their ambitious Summer Reading Lists. They’ll discuss which books lived up to the hype, which ones got shelved for later, and how their seasonal reading expectations measured up to reality. Whether you’re into literary fiction, poetry collections, or “long reads,” join this ...
What’s on your summer reading list? In this episode of Bookish: A Casual Book Club, Howard Community College English professors Sylvia, Kofi, and Laura share their top book picks for summer 2025 and unpack why summer reading just feels different.
From urgent poetry and experimental memoir to international fiction and visionary manifestos, the trio offers a vibrant set of book recommendations for every kind of reader. Whether you’re...
This week, join Laura, Sylvia, and Kofi as they dive into Claire Keegan's acclaimed novella, "Small Things Like These." The trio explores the book's themes, characters, and the powerful storytelling that has captivated readers worldwide. They also debate whether the book truly deserves the title of "the perfect book" as touted on TikTok. Tune in for thoughtful insights, lively discussions, and a few laughs along the way.
In this episode, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura discuss Dave Eggers’ novel, The Parade (2019). They dive into the allegorical story about two men, Four and Nine, who are charged with paving a road between two cities in a country that had been ravaged by war.
In this episode, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura discuss The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith. They talk about the novel's themes and the controversy around its translation. Han Kang is a South Korean author. She is the recipient of this year’s Nobel Prize in literature.
In this episode, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura share their thoughts on readings that inspire joy or delight. They mention The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, What Comes Next and How to Like it by Abigail Thomas, One Man’s Meat by EB White, An Alphabet for Gourmets by MFK Fisher, and “Vertigo” by Les Murray.
In this episode, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura report back on their summer reading and dive into a discussion of James by Percival Everett. Spoiler Alert: We do talk about the ending of James!
In this episode, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura talk about their summer reading lists. In addition to a variety of books on their individual lists, they will be reading James by Percival Everett. Be sure to read along with them.
Books they mention in this episode: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown, Linguistic Jus...
In this episode of Bookish, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura explore the fantasy genre and its many subgenres, such as high fantasy, magical realism, Wuxia fantasy, and sci-fi fantasy. They discuss The Wings of Fire (the graphic novel) by Tui T. Sutherland, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and “La Héron” by Charlotte Ashley from Fantasy & Science Fiction Mar/Apr 2015. Correction: The short story “Axolotl” that Laura ...
Kofi, Laura and Sylvia discuss the 2001 novel, Erasure, by Percival Everett. They also talk about the film based on the novel, American Fiction. American Fiction is Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies...
Kofi, Sylvia and Laura discuss graphic literature. They review "Abina and the Important Men," a compelling and powerfully illustrated "graphic history" based on an 1876 court transcript of a West African woman named Abina, who was wrongfully enslaved and took her case to court.
In this episode, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura talk about memoirs, including a discussion of Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu, HCC’s Bauder Lecture book for this year.
In this episode, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura talk about scary stories! What is scary? Why do we write and read scary stories? Happy Halloween! The stories discussed: “The October Game” by Ray Bradbury, “Survivor Type” by Stephen King, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, “Free Jim’s Mine” by Tananarive Due, and “Mask of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe.
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