What if phones but too much

First, The Triibe culture reporter Jerome Johnson and Tik Tok Chicago historian Sherman “Dilla” Thomas stop by to talk about that crazy Mona Lisa cake thing and the new Top Gun movie.

Then, The Atlantic’s Shirley Li tells us about some of the TV you shouldn’t miss this summer.

Plus, Imogen West-Knights and her friend boiled down alllll the book plots to a tight 35. Her tweet about it went super viral. We couldn’t not ask her about it!

Listen

A NOTE FROM GRETA & ANNA

Hi Nerd! Hope you’re hanging in and taking care. Here are some bright spots from my week that you might like too:

Signe Pike’s The Lost Queen might just be the amazing epic you need this summer!
I thought this The Cut article about gynecological pain was really, really good. “Who is believed when they are in pain and who gets appropriate pain treatment can be influenced by larger cultural beliefs about women, race, addiction, and more.”
And speaking of cake… I am finally going to make this beaut this weekend!

And here are some things that are making Anna, our producer, happy this week:

Slate’s new season of the podcast Slow Burn is out this week and it is all about Roe v. Wade.
The Suffers, the Houston band that Joey Guerra told us about in a recent Nerdette episode, is out with a new album today! It’s called "It Starts with Love."
Happy Pride! If you need a fun, new t-shirt from a queer-owned company, here are so so many options.

Talk to you next week,

BOOK CLUB CORNER

'This Thing Between Us.' The book sits on a shelf at a bookstore.

Anna Bauman / WBEZ

This Thing Between Us, discussed!

This month, I got to sit down and talk about This Thing Between Us, grief and belonging, and horror in general with book critic Gabino Iglesias and Exile in Bookville co-owner Javier Ramirez.

LISTEN