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Antkind by Charlie Kaufman – Liz |
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Circe by Madeline Miller – Allison |
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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – Allison |
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Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire – Adam |
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First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom – Vanessa |
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Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner – Maryann B |
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28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand – Maryann B |
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith I reread this book during quarantine and was amazed at how engaging it is to read about everyday life long ago. The characters are interesting, the prose is beautiful, and the simplicity of the plot makes it a fun read. – Shelly |
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – Nicoleta |
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The Last Taxi Driver by Lee Durkee – Regan |
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The Cold Millions by Jess Walter – Regan |
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Bachelor Brothers’ Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson – Regan |
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Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot – Adam |
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The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty – Adam |
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Fall and Rise, the Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff – Vanessa |
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White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg – Vanessa |
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The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr., America’s Reluctant Prince by Steven M. Gillon – Vanessa |
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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendo – Vanessa |
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Newtown by Matthew Lysiak – Vanessa |
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The Half That Has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist – Vanessa |
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First in Line by Kate Andersen Bower – Vanessa |
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The Butler, A Witness to History by Wil Haywood – Vanessa |
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The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth – Vanessa |
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A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold – Vanessa |
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Abraham Lincoln by Kay Smutz – Vanessa |
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass – Vanessa |
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Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman – Vanessa |
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The End of Normal by Stephanie Madoff Mack – Vanessa |
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The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs – Vanessa |
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How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Greger MD – Sharon C |
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A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by Sir David Attenborough – Sharon C |
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Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad This book took me a long time to get through because it is so thorough, interactive, and intense. It includes a 30 day challenge to dismantle your thoughts about white supremacy and engage you in some really hard-to-answer questions. I ended up writing over 7000 words in response and am hopefully a better person for it. – Shelly |
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The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel A. van der Kolk This somewhat dense but readable book is THE book on trauma, PTSD, and research-backed ways to help people. I learned something on basically every page and even found myself engaged in some of the more technical brain chemistry parts. – Shelly |
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Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski This book was my favorite book of the year and goes along with a fantastic podcast called the Feminist Survival Project 2020. Both authors – twin sisters – are doctors in different fields and have unique ways of approaching stress. After reading it, I immediately started listening to their podcast, following them on Instagram, and wanting to read more. I recommended this book to everyone, especially my female friends, and read it a second time to take notes and make a “cheat sheet” of important ideas. It is so important and actually life-changing. – Shelly |
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No Happy Endings and It’s Okay to Laugh by Nora McInerny These books are written by a woman who experienced intense loss but can turn it into beautiful writing. She is funny, smart, realistic, relatable, and keeps her levity amidst very sad topics. – Shelly |
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Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty – Neera |
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How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie – Neera |
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The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran – Neera |
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Naturally Tan by Tan France – Amber |
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The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish – Amber |
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Hold On But Don’t Hold Still by Kristina Kuzmic – Amber |
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In the Dream House: a Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado – Hannah |
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How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones – Hannah |
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Good Things Happen to People You Hate by Rebecca Fishbein – Hannah |
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Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb – Hannah |
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Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie Glaude – Regan |
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Wonder of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil – Regan |
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My Age Of Anxiety : Fear, Hope, Dread, And The Search For Peace Of Mind by Scott Stossel – Sew-Yeng |
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Together, Apart – Liz |
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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas – Liz |
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There Will Come a Darkness (The Age of Darkness #1) by Katy Rose Pool – Liz |
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Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars #2) by Elizabeth Lim – Liz |
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Where I End and You Begin by Preston Norton – Liz |
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The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper – Liz |
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Wilder Girls by Rory Power – Liz |
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Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary – Amber |
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Bingo Love by Tee Franklin This quick and fun graphic novel has unique characters, a sweet story, and beautiful pictures. It is all-around engaging. – Shelly & Amber |
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Karen’s Roller Skates by Ann M. Martin I simply love what different illustrators have done to all the Baby-Sitters Club re-releases in graphic novel format. The small details, cute add-ons, and respect for the original are evident on each page. This book, the second in the Little Sister spinoff, does not disappoint. – Shelly |
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Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe This autobiographical story is interesting, quick, and impactful. I felt like I really knew the author at the end, along with learning a lot about gender. – Shelly |
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The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes – Hannah |
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An Artist’s Alphabet by Norman Messenger – Sew-Yeng |
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1 2 3 Dream by Kim Krans – Sew-Yeng |
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Penguin Problems by John Jory – Sew-Yeng |
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Eric by Shaun Tan – Sew-Yeng |
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Rum Pum Pum by David Harrison – Sew-Yeng |
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Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall – Sew-Yeng |
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Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty – Sew-Yeng |
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If Winter Comes, Tell It I’m Not Here by Simona Ciraolo – Sew-Yeng |
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A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett – Sew-Yeng |
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Teacup by Rebecca Young – Sew-Yeng |
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Actual Size by Steve Jenkins – Sew-Yeng |
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The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney – Sew-Yeng |
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Keith Among the Pigeons by Katie Brosnan – Sharon C |
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On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex – Sharon C |
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Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy, illustrated by Shawn Harris – Sharon C |
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You Matter by Christian Robinson – Sharon C |
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The Tiny Baker by Hayley Barrett, illustrated by Alison Jay – Sharon C |
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Jack At the Zoo by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Greg Pizzoli – Sharon C |
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A Garden in Your Belly: Meet the Microbes in Your Gut by Masha D’yans – Sharon C |
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Teatime Around the World by Denyse Waissbluth, illustrated by Chelsea O’Byrne – Sharon C |
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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart This book has the most unique and unforgettable characters I’ve read about in a very long time. It’s one of those rare books that shows you it’s going to be one of your all-time favorites just a few pages in. The author is incredible at making the personalities of the main characters jump off the page. You’ll finish the book both cheering and crying and want to recommend it to every 10 year old you know. – Shelly |
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Front Desk by Kelly Yang I’d been wanting to read this for two years and am so glad I finally got around to it this summer. It’s a fun, quick, semi-autobiographical tale about an enterprising young girl who just makes you root for her on every page. I look forward to reading its followup novel soon. – Shelly |
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Coo by Kaela Noel This was one of the first books I read during quarantine and, quite literally, could not put it down at times. It is so engaging, original, and interesting. It tells the story of a girl actually raised by pigeons and what happens when she meets her first humans. I absolutely love stories like that and this one did a fantastic job telling it from a beautiful perspective. – Shelly |
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The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee by Barry Jonsberg This super-fun book is great for fans of many of my most favorite books: Planet Earth is Blue, Rain Reign, Counting by 7s, A Corner of the Universe, Fish in a Tree, and Mockingbird. It’s set in Australia though, which makes it slightly quirkier and more interesting. You will be thinking about Candice long after you finish her story. – Shelly |
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Don’t Worry, Crab by Chris Haughton – Amber |
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Shapes by Shelley Rotner – Amber |
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The Thankful Book by Todd Parr – Amber |
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The Best Kind Of Bear by Greg Gormley – Amber |
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Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos – Amber |
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Ghost by Jason Reynolds – Amber |
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Roll With It by Jamie Sumner – Amber |
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Dreamland by Glass Animals – Liz |
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Women in Music Part III by Haim – Liz |
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ANIMA by thom Yorke – Liz |
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Apart Together by Tim Minchin – Adam |
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Visions of Bodies Being Burned by clipping. – Adam |
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Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder – Vanessa |
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folklore by Taylor Swift Before 2020, I was the most casual of Taylor Swift’s fans I generally liked what played on the radio and that’s about it. But this album turned me into a super fan. I love every single song on it and listened to the album dozens of times. It’s catchy, it’s sweet, it’s fun, it even taught me a few new words. – Shelly |
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Such Pretty Forks in the Road by Alanis Morissette This album was also super fun and a frequent listen over quarantine. Alanis reinvents herself yet again. – Shelly |
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Bandish Bandit by Shankar Mahadevan – Neera |
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Derry Girls
– Allison
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The Crown
– Allison & Maryann B
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Killing Eve
– Allison & Adam
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The Expanse
– Allison & Adam
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The Queen’s Gambit
– Allison & Maryann B & Amber
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– Allison & Adam & Sharon C & Amber & Regan
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The Mandalorian – Allison |
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Upright – Adam |
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Star Trek: Discovery – Adam |
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Infinity Train – Adam |
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Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts – Adam |
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She-Ra and the Princesses of Power – Adam |
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First Cow – Sharon C |
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At Eternity’s Gate – Sharon C |
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An American Pickle – Sharon C |
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The Gleaners and I – Sharon C |
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Feels Good Man – Sharon C |
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The Repair Shop – Sharon C |
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Fargo – Sharon C |
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The Plot Against America – Sharon C |
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What We Do in the Shadows – Sharon C |
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The Baby-Sitters Club (2020) As a BSC fan extraordinaire, I eagerly awaited this release and spent hours and hours thinking of what they’d do before I even saw a trailer. Amazingly, I was not at all disappointed. This feel-good show seamlessly interprets the BSC from a 2020 lens, with thoughtful nods to the original and a fresh take on the same stories as the books, with a dash of wokeness. It is fun for kids and adults alike and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I can’t wait for Season 2! – Shelly |
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Orange is the New Black I was late to the game and watched this show in its entirety for the first time in 2020. I absolutely loved seasons 1-3 and was very engaged with the characters, storylines, time jumps, and factual information about prisons. The show got worse after season 3 but I still enjoyed watching it to the end. – Shelly |
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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia This longest-running live-action comedy series in American television simply NEVER disappoints. The actors and creators take their time, they’re thoughtful, they try new things, they learn, they make you think way too deeply. The characters are absolutely terrible people that make them so much fun to watch. – Shelly |
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Pen15 An awkward take on middle school in 2000 sounded almost too painful for me to watch, but I’m so glad I did. This ridiculously realistic and completely cringey show brings back the nostalgia and comedy on so many levels. Sometimes I can only get through a few minutes at a time because it is so uncomfortable, but that’s basically how life really was in middle school in the year 2000, so it totally works. After each episode, I am so glad to have a few true friends. – Shelly |
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Never Have I Ever This hilarious comedy written by Mindy Kaling has one of my favorite things: a somewhat unlikeable, strong female lead. It somehow combines absurdity, true drama, laugh out loud comedy, a mix of characters, and bizarre voice-overs into a show you can’t help but binge. So much fun. – Shelly |
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Middleditch & Schwartz Watching these three, hour-long episodes of live, long-form improv is the most I think I have ever laughed. These two actors, who you definitely already know, take audience suggestions and put on the most incredibly hilarious improv shows you can possibly imagine. They are smart, funny, call back to the audience, and are absurd but keep with what they’ve set up. Amazing fun and I hope they do more! – Shelly |
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Flesh & Blood – Sharon M |
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Roadkill – Sharon M |
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The Trouble with Maggie Cole – Sharon M |
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Peanut Butter Falcon – Neera |
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Trial of Chicago 7 – Neera |
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Bandish Bandits – Neera |
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Aarya – Neera |
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Rectify – Regan |
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Last Tango in Halifax – Regan |
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The Flight Attendant – Regan |