...But Make It Books

Brandon and Niccara welcome you back to the only show dedicated to healing through life bookishly! Find out what they've been reading and what you can look forward to on the pod cast!

Loving the return of another episode of…But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they dig into their fondness of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwake Emezi. In this episode, they discuss how grief can be kinda weird, begging v standing, a question men should ask themselves, and what love song that comes to mind when thinking on L-O-V-E.   As always you can find all the books they discuss at the But Make It Books indie bookshop of choice Charm City Books

We are officially back in full swing with your favorite bi-weekly bookish pod…But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss the necessity of taking a break, check in on our reading, set forth reading hopefuls, and figure out how we get back into the groove of being a reader.    Joining us on our Instagram on March 11h as we chat with The Kitchenista (Angela Davis) on IG Live at noon est.

After a much needed break, we are back! As a bonus, we have a LIVE episode…But Make it Books! Join Niccara, Brandon, and Sadeqa Johnson, author of the NAACP Image Award nominated The House of Eve, as they discuss how Black women deserve bodily autonomy, the effects of classism, Sadeqa's writing process, adoption, and dream casting ideas. Welcome back everyone!   Books Discussed: The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson   Check out the visual discussion here Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod  Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com where you always earn 5% back in store credit on all your purchases.    Thank you for listening and sharing!

The 3rd episode of the Ambition Trilogy has arrived on…But Make it Books! Join Niccara, Brandon, and Mateo Askaripour, author of  Black Buck, as they discuss the plot of his coming novel “This Great Hemisphere”, people as products, "can we separate the creator from the work?", and mourning Kanye West.   Books Discussed: Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour Yellowface by R.F. Kuang   Check out the visual discussion here Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com Thank you for listening and sharing!

And now, a sequel episode of...But Make it Books! Join Niccara, Brandon, and Mateo Askaripour, author Black Buck, as they discuss Scarcity vs Abundance, the implications of the word “buck", the double read, and the responsibility of satirical work. Stay tuned for the conclusion of this trilogy to hear more about Mateo's upcoming novel! Books Discussed: Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour Check out the visual discussion here! Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com Thank you for listening and sharing!

We are all the way LIVE…But Make it Books! Join Niccara, Brandon, and Deesha Philyaw, author of a Finalist for the National Book Award for The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, as they discuss how the church fashions young Black women, the importance of intergenerational representation, Deesha's writing process, and share light discourse about Greenleaf. This episode marks our first live event and we hope you can join us at the next one!   Books Discussed: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw   Special Thanks: Baltimore Center Stage Hopscotch Bottle Shop Love More Bmore Naomi Rivers, author of THIS: A Simple, Complex Love Story Sacred Touch Xander and Olive Jewelry   Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod  Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com   Thank you for listening and sharing!

Smells like a fresh, hot episode of...But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss books, their best dishes, sugar as a nostalgic ingredient, why you should cook more, and what you can get out of reading cookbooks. Books Discussed: Notes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onuwachi My America by Kwame Onuwachi Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat The Golden Girls Cookbook by Christopher Styler Check out the visual discussion here Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com Thank you for listening and sharing!

Fresh out the oven, another episode of But Make It Books. Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss generational recipes, the family table, the science behind cooking up a legacy, and the family recipes they love. Check out the visual discussion here: Charm City Books YouTube! Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod  Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com Books discussed: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.

It's time to finish another episode of…But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss books they did not finish, potential varietal story telling, the importance of a multifaceted reader community, and taunt with another tbd conversation on Luster Check out the visual discussion here: Charm City Books YouTube! Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod  Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com   Thank you for listening and sharing!

Time for another deep-rooted episode of …But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they examine the infrastructure of America, effects of a developing hometown, the necessity to maintain a certain narrative of US history, and prepare you for what will be a revealing and altering read, of The 1619 Project.    Books Discussed: The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones Check out the visual discussion here: Watch here! Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com   Thank you for listening and sharing!

This week we get to take a little nap with …But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss a manifesto of rest, generational forms of rest, grind culture and the necessity of communion.   Books Discussed: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey   Check out the visual discussion here:  Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod  Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com   Thank you for listening and sharing!

We're half way through the year with …But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss book goal updates, TBR hopefuls, favorite reads thus far, and which Russell starred in Gladiator.   Books Discussed: Black Cake by Charmaine WIlkerson Glory by Noviolet Bulawayo Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey Seven Days in June by Tia Williams   Check out the visual discussion here:  Follow us on Instagram: @butmakeitbookspod  Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com   Thank you for listening and sharing!

Walking down the aisle to another episode of …But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss one of their favorite novels, sustainable love, the Prison Industrial Complex's effect on marriage, and non-negotiable wedding elements. Books Discussed: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson   Check out the visual discussion here:  Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com   Thank you for listening and sharing!

Welcome to another episode of ...But Make it books. Niccara and Brandon discuss ambitious behavior, effects of the workplace, their coffee orders and shout out New York.   Books Discussed . . .  Black Buck Mateo Askaripour   Available at www.charmcitybooks.com 

 It's time to suit up for another episode of …But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss the spell of racism, their monster hunting specialty, the weaponization of truth, and what villains actually made good points. Books Discussed: Ring Shout by P. Jeli Clark Check out the visual discussion here at our YouTube page! Get any books discussed here: www.charmcitybooks.com   Thank you for listening and sharing!

We're back with another episode of …But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss what makes a memoir, who can write them, the validity of personal history, and what they are going to have for lunch.   Books Discussed: Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onuwachi Just as I Am by Cicely Tyson I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy Will by Will Smith Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey You can find all these books available at Charm City Books! Just follow this link to the collection!    

Episode 5 of …But Make it Books is here! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss the revolutionary act of Black Love, the Romance genre, why we all should read more Black love stories, and ask "What is love?".   Books Discussed: Waiting to Exhale by Terry  Seven Days in June Wedding Date Series  You Had Me At Hola Take A Hint, Danni Brown The Death of Vivek Oji www.charmcitybooks.com  

Title: America the Beautiful... In this episode, Niccara and Brandon discuss the battles of living under the American system, the power of love and family, the imagery of the American Dream using Patricia Engel's novel ‘Infinite Country'. Listen in - and remember to keep bookishly healing through life. Reading List: Infinite Country by Patricia Engel An American Marriage by Tayari Jones The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughs  Ring Shout By P. Djèlí Clark  The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Title: Banned…   Nicarra and Brandon discuss why books are banned, the power of control, the books that  should be banned, and how children are the future, in everyone's eyes.   Books Discussed: All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas   Notable links to sources you'll hear:   https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/   https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5

Episode 2 of …But Make it Books is here! Join Niccara and Brandon as they discuss survival, the difference between survival and healing, Richmond geography, and relatable lessons in a classic Black comedy.   Books Discussed: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson You made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Awake Emezi   www.charmcitybooks.com

Welcome to the inaugural episode of …But Make it Books! Join Niccara and Brandon as they share how they feel about starting a podcast, give insight on themselves through books, and clarify their Skittle preferences.   Books Discussed: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling  Home by Toni Morrison Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor Seven Days in June by Tia Williams The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty The Fire This Time by James Baldwin The Secret Lives of Church Ladies The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory   www.charmcitybooks.com