Everyone's been talking about it — and now we can too! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes kicked off the summer in YA books. The reception has been mostly mixed throughout the community, but we were surprised to find that most of us enjoyed it in some way! While it's certainly very different from the previous Hunger Games books, the story of Coriolanus Snow has a lot to offer and teach us. As part of our initiative to do more, we're donating 100% of our ad earnings from the month of June to the Trevor Project. We donated 100% of our earnings from May to Black Lives Matter. Learn more about why here. In this episode: Is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes too long of a book? What kind of origin story did Suzanne Collins give us? We look at nature vs. nurture. Does Coriolanus ever really love Lucy Gray? It's hard to understate Lucy Gray's impact. Are the games better in the earlier days or during Katniss' days? Do all the connections to the Hunger Games trilogy ruin the original books? Sejanus definitely couldn't have survived during the age of Katniss. Related Reading: Saul's review of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’: The most shocking revelations Get In Touch: Let your voice be heard! There are several ways you can get in touch with us and interact with the show. Your messages might be included in a future episode! Record and send us a voice message! Follow and talk to us through Twitter! Send us an old-fashioned email! Follow the hosts: Saul Marquez: @SAULMARQ Britani Overman: @Bri_tani92 Michael Burns: @_michaelburns Spencer Miller: @SpencerBMiller Eleanor Maher: @wordsinstars (BookTube) Bookmarked is brought to you by Audible.com! You can get a FREE audiobook when you sign up for a 30-day free trial membership. Click here for more info!

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.