...But Make It Books

Join Niccara and Brandon as they talk about the ups and downs of the world and work through them, bookishly. Every episode, they sit down and discuss whatever may be weighing on their minds and use books as a lens to unpack their feelings. You’ll hear about amazing books and why you should read them, receive a peek into our cultural backgrounds, and find a safe space to process life. Made possible by Charm City Books in Baltimore, MD.

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Top 10 ...But Make It Books Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best ...But Make It Books episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to ...But Make It Books for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite ...But Make It Books episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Who Dis . . .

...But Make It Books

03/16/23 • 39 min

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

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Do What You Gotta Do

...But Make It Books

03/30/23 • 36 min

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

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Standing On Business

...But Make It Books

03/14/24 • 36 min

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

Tapping Back In . . .

...But Make It Books

02/29/24 • 32 min

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.

Banned Books

...But Make It Books

04/13/23 • 38 min

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

America The Beautiful . . .

...But Make It Books

04/27/23 • 31 min

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

It’s My Life

...But Make It Books

05/25/23 • 32 min

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!

Black Love Is Revolutionary

...But Make It Books

05/11/23 • 28 min

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

The Practice of Minimalism with Christine Platt

...But Make It Books

10/25/24 • 66 min

In this special live episode, co-host Brandon goes producer mode behind the camera with our audio engineer, Donte at The Trap Factory for a special interview with Niccara and author and Afro Minimalist, Christine Platt. Dive in as we talk about the generational need for ownership, silent identity markers and living for you.

Live taping took place at Charm City Books in Baltimore MD

Pick up your copy of Christine's The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less at Charm City Books