Show & Tell: I Did a Thing.
This is Show & Tell where I tell you some things I loved from the week and the one thing I hated, plus round up everything else going on around these parts. The first half of Show & Tell is free to all. The adoration and hateration are for paid subscribers only.
I am out of town this weekend in Oakland with my family to celebrate my sister’s 40th birthday. For you OG listeners to the podcast, Sarah was my second ever guest on the podcast and we discussed an all-time favorite memoir, Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward for book club.
I’m enjoying the family time watching soccer, eating cake, and barely working. But, for some reason every single appearance I’ve done in the last month all dropped this week, so I wanted to make sure to share those things with you. I have very big “I did a thing” energy this week. But due to my OOO status this weekend, the rest of this Show & Tell is sparse. I gotta soak up time with my loved ones.
This Week in The Stacks
I told you last week this is an all sports page for the remainder of the World Cup. No Scotland, no party.
After reading about 45 pages of Unreasonable Women, I knew I had to have the author, Justine van der Leun on the show. The book is fantastic and the conversation around women and abuse is one worthy of your time.
Twice a year you all get to hear about forthcoming books from me, , and . That bonus episode dropped this week and it is the same bookish chatter and eclectic recommendations you’e come to love from us.
Books I Read This Week
The Fervent Whites by De’Shawn Charles Winslow
This thriller, is set in the mostly Black town of Fervent, NY in the 1980s. A white couple, the Whites, are exonerated for the murder of one of their neighbors and return home which brings up a bunch of instability and secrets. This is a fast read, but I wouldn’t call it super propulsive. It is more of a literary thriller than a true page turner. I appreciated the time Winslow took to build the Fervent community—the characters, their relationships, and place are well developed. The tension is strong throughout, though sometimes the central plot gets convoluted. That didn’t keep me from wanting to power through this story and figure out what the hell was going on (and yes I figure it out).
Fave of the Week
Housekeeping
There are so many good books coming out in 2026. Too many? Never! But at least enough for me to do a midyear book list for shereads.com to go along with my annual January list. This one covers books from July-December.
I was a guest on Vibe Check this week to talk about summer reading and give three book recs alongside . Our list is not at all what you’d expect from summer reading, you’re welcome.
I wrote my first ever piece for Marie Claire this week. It is a list of 7 historical Black books to read (over Juneteenth weekend…but honestly just read them whenever).
I got to be a guest on The Sam Sanders Show this week to talk about 2026 trends with . We talk “the sculpt”, sports1, and what we think the rest of the year has in store for us.
I told you it’s all sports all the time over here, and that includes my monthly spot on Here & Now. They let me share my fave sports books and how to pick a team to root for in the World Cup.
This Sunday, June 28th, I’ll be a guest for the Sam Sanders Show’s first ever Live show. Its in LA. Its me and , and Eliot Glazer doing a full 90’s nostalgia bracket. Get your tickets.
Things I Love…
Sports
The World Cup is cupping. The USA has already topped their group thanks to new FIFA rules2. And they look pretty good, though I’m not sure how they will stack up against some real opponents. We’ll have to wait and see, but I like what I’ve seen so far.
A few moments I’ve loved from the pitch in the last week:
Alex Freeman scored a goal on Juneteenth for the USA. C’mon. That’s poetic justice.
People are continuing to learn about my beloved Scotland fans. Sadly, Scotland lost to Morocco, but they had a pretty great showing. They held them to one goal, and I was expecting it to be a bloodbath. The good news is that as long as they stay close to Brazil next week (not a blow out) they have a shot of advancing. A tie would likely seal the deal for them3.
There is a soccer announcer (and former Danish player) named Peter Schmeichel4.
International fans falling in love with American things. This country could use some goodwill internationally and I’ll take it however we can get it.
The Cape Verde goalie, Vozinha, is the breakout star of the cup so far.
Speaking of Cape Verde, holding Spain and Uruguay to ties is incredible. The now have a real shot at advancing.
England vs. Croatia was a super entertaining match.
Ghana’s late goal against Panama was a fucking delight.
Zlatan Ibrahimović hates Alexi Lalas and this is very relatable. I have personally hated that man since at least the 2010 World Cup, and people have been slowly catching on. All haters are welcome here. Feel free to share your most hateable Lalas moments in the comments.
Speaking of Zlatan this video of him and Thierry Henry just kicking the ball around is incredible.
I watched like 12 soccer matches with my brother this weekend and that was by far and away the best.
