Today we have a special bonus episode for you! Anne's new book I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life comes out in a little less than a month. Today she's reading you the first chapter. And YOU get to play along in a fun, social, and bibliotherapeutic way. The first essay is titled Confess Your Literary Sins, and in it, Anne shares how (and why) readers somehow feel compelled to reveal all the guilty secrets of their reading lives—to her. But she's learned over the ...
Aug 10, 2018•17 min•Ep. 145
Today, Anne tackles guest Travis Meserve's bookstore anxiety - where should you look in the store to find your next read? How do you get past the nerves and talk to your friendly local bookseller? And is there a secret key to understanding the bestsellers table up front? Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and leave a comment telling us what YOU think Travis should read next: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/144 You can read more about Travis' re...
Aug 07, 2018•54 min•Ep. 144
If both Netflix and the bookshelf hold equal value in your heart, you’ll totally relate to today’s guest. Patience Randle loves a book with cinematic appeal, especially if it comes with a comfy chair and a great cup of coffee. Today, Patience and Anne chat about books that would make great screenplays, Patience's favorite places to enjoy a good book and a brew, future novel-writing dreams, what would happen if the apocalypse came to their hometowns, and so much more! Click over to the podcast we...
Jul 31, 2018•46 min•Ep. 143
In episode 138, we met NYPL librarians Gwen and Frank, who filled WILDLY different roles despite working within the same library system. Today, Anne explores a smaller-town librarian experience through the eyes of Sarah Peden, a children’s librarian from Humboldt, Tennessee. Sarah is full of stories about the long road to librarianship, strange patron requests, small town scandals that echo for decades, and so much more delicious library gossip. And if you’ve ever wondered who wins in battle Wik...
Jul 24, 2018•35 min•Ep. 142
Anne chats with Ian Morgan Cron, noted Enneagram teacher, psychotherapist, author of The Road Back to You and host of the Typology podcast, about how their favorite literary characters (and maybe a few movie characters) fit into the framework of the super-hot-right-now Enneagram personality system. From Hermione Granger to Jay Gatsby to Marianne Dashwood to Samwise Gamgee... today we cover a LOT of literary ground. If you don’t know anything about the Enneagram personality framework, don’t worry...
Jul 17, 2018•52 min•Ep. 141
Today’s guest Cindy Wang-Brandt has gone through a lot of shifts in her life - spiritual, political, familial… which around here, begs a question: what do those shifts do to a person’s reading life? Join Anne and Cindy in an examination of how identities are reflected in what books we choose, the lenses we bring to what we read, what “counts” as literary fiction, stories that help us understand the chaotic world around us, and so much more. Click over to the podcast website to tell Cindy what YO...
Jul 10, 2018•52 min•Ep. 140
Anne chats with Eric Zimmer, host of The One You Feed podcast, which features interviews with thoughtful people who have big ideas about making a “conscious, creative effort toward a life worth living.” Anne and Eric talk about his favorite comic strip character, embarrassing library visits, books for the meditative reader, the patron saint of WSIRN, noir detective novels, and much much more. Click over to the podcast website to tell Eric what YOU think he should read next, or tell us about your...
Jul 03, 2018•51 min•Ep. 139
Gwen Glazer and Frank Collerius work in unique roles at the New York Public Library system, and together host the wonderful podcast The Librarian Is In. Today Anne, Gwen, and Frank have a heart-to-heart chat about the ways librarians' roles have shifted over the past decade, how libraries adapt to meet their patrons needs, and opportunities for you to give back to your library in valuable ways. Click over to the podcast website to leave a comment about your favorite library tips, tricks, and mem...
Jun 26, 2018•54 min•Ep. 138
Leigh Kramer is a former medical social worker, and the author of a brand new novel about life, love, and loss called A Storied Life. Today Anne digs deep with former social worker and current author Leigh Kramer to discuss a tough, nuanced topic: grief. From instructive texts, to descriptive fiction, to tales-of-caution, the bookshelf has a lot to say about this universal human emotion. This is a great conversation, but you should know that some of the books we discuss grapple with things like ...
Jun 19, 2018•43 min•Ep. 137
Readers, welcome to our first impromptu and improvised episode of What Should I Read Next! Today Anne tells you a little about our new class, Get More Out of Your Library. Click here for more details, and click here to learn more about the MMD Book Club and sign up before the Wednesday class. In this episode, Anne also tells you a small-world bookish story, and shares One Great Book for your TBR. We hope you enjoy today's episode! We'll be back next week with a new Tuesday episode. _____________...
Jun 12, 2018•15 min•Ep. 136
Guest and author Jen Hatmaker is known for speaking publicly about a LOT of things, but reading isn’t one of them! At least, not the books she’s really reading on her own time—and today you’re going to hear how different those titles are from what you probably EXPECT her to enjoy reading. Today Jen and I get to chat about about the intricacies of her home library, the book that gave her nightmares, the books she's afraid to read on the bus, the finer points of humor writing, our foodie favorites...
Jun 05, 2018•51 min•Ep. 135
Ben Huntington is a young audiobook fanatic who chews through stories at an exhilarating rate - we’re talking reading the Hobbit in one week! Today, Anne recommends a ton of great audiobook series to keep his reading list full all summer. This is an episode the whole family can enjoy, full of books perfect for road trip entertainment! And stay tuned till the end for follow up commentary from Ben and his mom, including funny jokes and helpful resources for topics discussed today. You could be fea...
May 29, 2018•31 min•Ep. 134
Guest Sachi Argabright discovered a rich vein of books by Asian American authors who inspire her, and it’s given her reading life wings. In today's episode, Anne tops up her list with unique and soon-to-be-released titles so she can stay in that happy place for a long time to come. They also discuss travel, reading goals, book organization (see her gorgeous "favorites bookshelf" on the shownotes page of our site), and much much more. Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles ...
May 22, 2018•56 min•Ep. 133
It’s time to get your library holds all set up for a long summer of reading! Whether you’re looking for a contemporary page-turner, something spine-chilling, a chunky classic, a dose of reality, or if you’re suspending expectations in hope of some bookish serendipity… Anne is here with friend of the show and bookseller Annie Jones to discuss the alllll the hot titles they can’t help but want to shove in their friends hands. Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed ...
May 15, 2018•53 min•Ep. 132
Jane Austen devotees will get a big kick out of today’s guest - Clara Breitenmoser is originally from New Zealand, currently lives in England, and now spends her days smack in the middle of a favorite literary landmark. Anne and Clara talk about heritage preservation, tracking reading with the help of our friends, excellent foodie memoirs, and also dive into Clara’s tough special request: She wants to read more books about characters in their 20s, without romance as the central theme. Take the W...
May 08, 2018•50 min•Ep. 131
Pop quiz - what is true of only 14 of the 110 Nobels awarded for Literature since the category's founding in 1901? Answer: only 14 women have received the honor. Today’s guests Kendra Winchester and Autumn Privett are intent on giving brilliant female authors their due. Every month, their podcast Reading Women shines a spotlight on a different genre or type of author - some favorite past themes include Women in Translation, Southern Literature, and Women of Color. So what better way to celebrate...
May 01, 2018•44 min•Ep. 130
Between her 2016 appearance on WSIRN and today, reader Osheta's Moore's creative projects have blossomed in beautiful ways. Today, Anne is catching up with Osheta to find out about the podcast that was just a baby project when they first chatted, the perfect library haul formula, how a reading life can change in 2 years, and how Osheta's one especially important bookshelf has grown over time. Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode: http://whatshou...
Apr 24, 2018•50 min•Ep. 129
If the word “biography” doesn’t fill you with excitement, maybe today’s guest Tracie Haddock’s enthusiasm can convince you to give them another shot. She even calls one famous biographer her “adopted grandfather”—although what she’s REALLY looking for are great biographies about amazing women, because she just hasn’t found enough out there. In this episode, Anne and Tracie discuss books about extraordinary people living during fascinating times, whether or not to be stingy with star ratings, unr...
Apr 17, 2018•44 min•Ep. 128
Everything’s upside down this week - WSIRN guest Jordan Bradley needs help QUITTING books! Years of higher education taught him to just push through a bad reading experience - but now it’s time to recalibrate. In today’s episode, Anne and Jordan talk futuristic fiction, vast histories, far-flung expeditions, and together chart a course toward Jordan's happier reading ever-after. Readers, we’re starting to add events to the calendar for summer and fall 2018, and when we’re ready to go public our ...
Apr 10, 2018•45 min•Ep. 127
Today's guest is Roxanne Coady, proprietor of RJ Julia bookstore in Madison, Connecticut and host of the Just The Right book podcast. Years ago, Roxanne did what many of WSIRN listeners have dreamed of doing - she left her old career behind, and started a bookstore. Join Anne as she investigates how Roxanne found a calling that appealed to her heart rather than her head, emotionally resonant narratives, nonfiction that holds your hand through tough times, PLUS - you'll learn about the origin of ...
Apr 03, 2018•42 min•Ep. 126
Do you ever feel a little out of place in the world of online readers? Perhaps you're more of a dabbler? You might relate to today's guest! Dana Hartness is fascinated by “reading culture” but feels like she doesn’t belong because her interests are so far-flung, and most of the time she’d rather just curl up with Netflix. Today, Anne tries to connect the dots between Dana's WILDLY different favorites, and recommend 3 books that will give Netflix a run for its money. In this episode, Dana mention...
Mar 27, 2018•35 min•Ep. 125
Today’s episode is a FESTIVAL of book recommendations for all ages. You might recognize children’s lit enthusiast extraordinaire Sarah Mackenzie from Episode 49 during our Reading for a Lifetime series, when she came on the show to help Anne recommend books to some truly adorable bookish kids. Today, they’re doing more of the same, but Anne also gets to recommend 3 books that Sarah can incorporate into her ADULT reading life when she’s not running Read Aloud Revival or sharing books with her kid...
Mar 20, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 124
Today’s guest is a reader who loves to laugh. Rissie Lundberg wrote in to the show to tell us she’s been a listener from the very beginning, but has NEVER heard her favorite titles discussed on the air. We knew we had to have her on the show to remedy that situation as soon as possible. Rissie is a high school math teacher with a bookish bent - she even assigns English literature as math homework! Today, Anne investigates what titles Rissie discusses with her math students, and they chat about b...
Mar 13, 2018•40 min•Ep. 123
You might recognize today’s guest if you’re a reality tv buff - Scott Flanary WON season 29 of The Amazing Race! But he also happens to be a huge book nerd, and that’s what we get to talk about today. Scott says his home-base genre used to be chick lit, but after recently discovering a new favorite niche genre, he's ready to travel even further in his bookish journey. Today I get to chat with Scott about how book clubs can help you connect deeply with your community, book-to-stage adaptations, c...
Mar 06, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 122
Today’s guests take getting lost in a good book to a TOTALLY different level. Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg host By The Book podcast, a bookish comedy show where they live by the rules of different self-help bestseller, for two weeks at a time. Kristen and Jolenta have lived to the letter of books like The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, The Secret, The Miracle Morning, and more. Anne's high-stakes job this week is recommending 3 titles for them to live through NEXT. (No pressure.) To...
Feb 27, 2018•54 min•Ep. 121
Today's guest Elizabeth Smith is an English Major lives a life that will inspire envy in a a lot of WSIRN listeners. She and her family homeschool, run a theatre company, tend a hobby farm, and herd sheep. No more juicy details here though - it’s better when Liz tells it. Anne and Liz also chat about the BEST way to experience Shakespeare, books for people who thrive on melancholy, and how to get more out of your local independent bookstores. Click over to the podcast website for the full list o...
Feb 20, 2018•52 min•Ep. 120
Today's guest Carly Friedman is a working mom, an advisor at her local university, and has a totally unique goal for her 2018 reading life. We'll give you one hint: backlist. Today Anne and Carly chat about nonfiction titles for people who love to learn, Carly's budding romance with audiobooks, novels with a strong sense of place and time, what moves a book from your bookshelf to your bedside table, and so much more! Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this...
Feb 13, 2018•56 min•Ep. 119
Anne and today's guest Dena Abramson Babb have a lot in common. Both were the girl in class who loved to choose the heftiest books possible from school reading lists, and now as adults they've infused their family cultures with reading. There's a little something special about today's episode, too - you'll get to snoop behind the scenes of the launch of Anne's book Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything, because Dena played a special part in the p...
Feb 06, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 118
Today’s guest Rachael Robinson lives in Southern California, but Anne met her for the very first time in her own kitchen. (They'll get to that in the episode). Rachael describes herself as an “extreme” book lover who discovered her reading obsession when her son was born and Netflix just wasn’t cutting it for entertainment. Today Anne and Rachael chat about Rachael's best reading year ever, #BookClubProblems, last-minute cross-country bookish adventures, and so much more. But make sure to stick ...
Jan 30, 2018•42 min•Ep. 117
Readers, if you're intrigued by the behind-the-scenes of the publishing industry, this one's for you. In today's new episode I chat with John August, a screenwriter, devoted reader, and author of a brand-new (or soon-to-be) middle grade novel. As of this morning, John also has a brand new podcast out in the world: it’s called LAUNCH, and as someone who loves all the details about how books are born, I can’t wait to listen. This six-episode podcast tracks the launch of John’s novel, Arlo Finch in...
Jan 23, 2018•54 min•Ep. 115
