Anne first met today's guest Shawn Smucker and his wife Maile while they were on an epic cross-country road trip with the whole family, in a big blue bus named Willie. If that sounds like interesting reading, Shawn wrote a book about the experience! It’s called How to Use a Runaway Truck Ramp, and the title is NOT just a metaphor. Today Anne delves into the special significance certain books and authors hold for Shawn and his family. Other topics covered include the fascinating art of ghost-writ...
Jun 20, 2017•48 min•Ep. 84
If you’re a longtime listener, you’ve heard from today's guest Donna Hetchler before—she hopped on episode 64 and chatted with Anne about the unconventional way she tracks what she reads, in our special episode devoted to how 15 WSIRN listeners track their books. In today's one-of-a-kind episode, Anne investigates Donna's plans for a very special road trip. They also discuss stories with whit and whimsy, books that stand the test of time, and Donna also had a unique request when it came to helpi...
Jun 13, 2017•47 min•Ep. 83
Today's guest is That-Reader-Who-Is-Impossible-To-Recommend-Books-To... because it seems she's read it EVERYTHING! Claire Diaz Ortiz has a very specific favorite genre that makes her go "crazy with excitement", and Anne faces a real challenge finding any titles under that umbrella that Claire hasn't already devoured. In this episode, Claire and Anne discuss what it means to be an "obsessive reader" and how to spot others out in the wild, the way our personalities influence how we read, the feeli...
Jun 06, 2017•55 min•Ep. 82
In today’s episode, Anne chats with Chelsea Humphrey about what a surprisingly broad category "suspense/thriller" actually is. Of course there's some Gone Girl chatter - but they're going deeper, talk about how psychological suspense connects with the various struggles women experience every day. Also covered: being a sucker for a beautiful book cover and a book with a great map in the front pages, redemptive narratives, and legitimately good romance novels that were not what we were expecting. ...
May 30, 2017•46 min•Ep. 81
Why is it SO HARD to describe a book you REALLY LOVE? Anne tries to figure it out with today's guest Cori Jara, a case worker in Eureka CA. Cori is a lifelong reader who loved the written word so much she became a creative writing major. But after college books lost their luster for Cori for a while—reading felt too much like work. So several years ago, she started keeping a detailed spreadsheet about what she was choosing to read. That spreadsheet led to an epiphany: she diagnosed why her readi...
May 23, 2017•47 min•Ep. 80
WARNING: today's episode might make you long for a warm sandy beach, a cozy cabin, or a French villa... wherever your heart longs to vacation, that's where you'll want to be. That's right, Anne is talking SUMMER READING today with the help of WSIRN insider Melissa Klassen! Melissa makes magic happen behind the scenes for WSIRN and the Modern Mrs Darcy blog, so you'll get a little peek behind the curtain. In this episode, Anne and Melissa discuss Summer’s big releases, the backlist titles they'll...
May 16, 2017•40 min•Ep. 79
Today's conversation won't go the direction you're expecting - and we think you're going to love it for just that reason. The guest is Kathleen Grissom, author of the hugely bestselling books The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything. Kathy (she said we could call her Kathy) is a reading discussion pro: she has talked to more than ONE THOUSAND book clubs since The Kitchen House was published! Today, she and Anne chat about hardcovers versus paperbacks, "reading books like popcorn", historical ...
May 09, 2017•46 min•Ep. 78
If YOU have ever dreamed of opening your own bookstore, you’re about to learn exactly how another reader is making that dream come true. Meet Alison Frenzel, a reader from Waco Texas who is in the process of bringing her bookish business idea into the real world! Alison and Anne discuss their nostalgic reading habits, what books and chocolate cake have in common, and the extroverted reader's perspective. And when it's time to talk bookshop, Alison has some solid business advice for Anne's favori...
May 02, 2017•49 min•Ep. 77
WSIRN just hosted our first LIVE event at the fabulous bookstore The Novel Neighbor in St Louis. (Many thanks to shop owner Holland Saltsman for having us!). Anne surprised three readers from the audiences with their very own book-matchmaking session! If you weren't able to make it, today's episode will hopefully make you feel just a little bit like you were sitting in the bookshop with Anne, having a group book-therapy session. Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discu...
Apr 25, 2017•2 hr 34 min•Ep. 76
Today's guest is Dave Harrity, a writer, college professor, and real-life friend of Anne's in Louisville. But there's something else you should know about David, and you have to promise not to click away when we tell you.... It’s National Poetry Month, and Dave is a published poet. We know a lot of readers think they’re just not intopoetry... and after this episode if you’re still not convinced, that’s fine! But Anne and Dave's discussion is totally accessible for non-poetry-lovers. Today, Anne ...
Apr 18, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 75
Today's guest hails from Austin, TX, and enjoys the simple things in life: wine, books, chips & salsa. As host of The Happy Hour podcast, it might be fair to say Jamie Ivey is a happiness "professional." Most of our guests come with anecdotes about childhoods reading under the covers or sneaking books to the dinner table, but today Jamie gives her perspective as a NON-lifetime reader! Anne and Jamie also chat about the 5 different ways you can feel about a book, relationship-centric stories, and...
Apr 11, 2017•42 min•Ep. 74
Have you ever been at a bus stop, on a train, or in a waiting room, and casually craned your neck trying to peek the title of a stranger's book? Going a step further - have you ever straight-up ASKED a stranger about the book they're reading? For most of us, that sounds intimidating. For today's guest, Uli Beutter Cohen, it sounded like a fascinating years-long project. Uli is the creator behind Subway Book Review on Instagram, a project dedicated to sharing book reviews from strangers on the tr...
Apr 04, 2017•52 min•Ep. 73
Happy Tuesday, readers! Meet Madeleine Riley, a 24-year-old special education teacher in New England who runs a colorful bookstagram account, Top Shelf Text, where she celebrates the most beautiful titles she's been reading lately. Today, Anne delves into who Madeleine is as an INFJ "regular reader" who just needs some alone time with a book to unwind. Topics include the struggle to find bookish friends IRL, judging books by their covers, discovering the next mystery comfort-read, and their emba...
Mar 28, 2017•50 min•Ep. 72
Today’s guest is an early member of the WSIRN family. If you were a listener back at the veeeery beginning of our show, you have Knox to thank for getting the first 11 episodes into your ears as our behind-the-scenes producer! You may ALSO know him as the cohost of The POPcast with Knox and Jamie, a weekly dose of pop culture mayhem. In this episode Knox and Anne discuss star-studded audiobooks, how much nostalgia a book can take before it's overkill, and more... while Anne tries to stay cool ab...
Mar 21, 2017•44 min•Ep. 71
We're delighted to welcome Jessie Weaver on the show for episode 70! Jessie is a married mother of two who loves to read, which sounds pretty normal, right? She lives in the Chattanooga area with her family... AND a gaggle of teenage boys in a private school dorm. Anne and Jessie talk about this very different "lifestyle", how being a dorm parent changes Jessie's reading life, and the brave topic of lifetime favorites. Plus, last year Jessie got most of her book recommendations from the internet...
Mar 14, 2017•45 min•Ep. 70
Today we welcome the marvelous Carolyn McCready to the show! As an acquisitions editor, reading is truly Carolyn's job. In this episode, Anne takes a little peek behind the scenes of the publishing industry, and of course dive into Carolyn's reading life—like how her reading journey began in a Baskin-Robbins (ice cream and books, does it get better than that?), This Is Us read-alikes, and the many beautiful, perilous ways the library might start to run your life. Click over to the podcast websit...
Mar 07, 2017•53 min•Ep. 69
You may know Laura Tremaine from her former blog Hollywood Housewife... or the Sorta Awesome podcast... or The Smartest Person In The Room podcast... but no matter where you first heard Laura's voice, we can all agree she's a delight. Anne and Laura discuss the author Laura thinks is underappreciated, even though he’s a HUGE commercial success (any guesses?) They also touch on how competition and insecurity in the reading world gets real, Judy Blume, Reese Witherspoon, book clubs, and how plot s...
Feb 28, 2017•43 min•Ep. 68
Today’s guest, Eli Sykes, is a food scientist who describes his job as “getting to eat snacks all day,” so it’s safe to say Eli is living the dream. We’ve had a lot of English majors on the show, but this episode looks into what it’s like to be married to an English major, because, you guessed it—Eli’s wife is one. Anne and eli discuss how a teacher sparked the reading flame in his heart (and exactly what book fanned it), a certain unnamed author who gets a lot of love around here, and how he “j...
Feb 21, 2017•39 min•Ep. 67
Today's completely awesome guest is Megan Tietz, host of Sorta Awesome podcast. Some things to know about Megan - she’s an enneagram 9 (just like Anne) and a textbook ENFP, she LOVES The Great Gatsby, and she is a bright, bubbly joy to listen to. In this episode, Anne and Megan talk personality types, broken hearts, and how working on a podcast can affect the reading life. Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us kn...
Feb 14, 2017•48 min•Ep. 66
Today’s guest is Graylin Porter, World-Lit-major-with-a-Masters-in-Modern-&-Contemporary-Lit-turned-children’s-librarian who is expecting a new addition to her family very very soon (hint: it’s a baby!). Graylin shares a peek behind the librarian curtain, including the struggles of keeping a children’s section stocked, what she will miss most about the library when she leaves her position later this year, and the one genre her book club knows they can count on her to read. Click over to the podc...
Feb 07, 2017•41 min•Ep. 65
It's time for something a bit different - in today's "from the mailbag" episode, Anne discusses the myriad ways readers track their book lives, from Goodreads, to bullet journals, to excel spreadsheets, to #bookstagram. Fifteen WSIRN listeners' favorite recording techniques are highlighted, and Anne shares a little bit about her own favorite tracking strategies. For pictures from our listeners and even more info, visit the corresponding blog post on Modern Mrs. Darcy. Connect with Anne: Blog | T...
Jan 31, 2017•1 hr•Ep. 64
Today's guest is Elise Blaha Cripe, who you may know as the creative professional behind the Get to Work Book planner, or the host of podcast Elise Gets Crafty. Most importantly, Elise is one of those people who can’t NOT talk about books—who loves to be reading, and loves to share what she reads. Today we talk about Elise’s love of big, thick books, the three places she gets her book recommendations, and how the true sign of a great book is if it makes Elise forget she has a phone. Click over t...
Jan 24, 2017•48 min•Ep. 63
Hello readers, it's a very special Tuesday! We have officially reached What Should I Read Next's Anniversary episode. It's been a full year since Episode 1! There are 61 episodes under our belt, and in 52 of those episodes Anne has recommended what our fascinating guests should read next. But as the host of this show, she's never sat in the hot seat herself. Until today. For our anniversary, we’re doing this special episode of What Should Anne Should Read Next, so you can hear her talk a little ...
Jan 17, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 62
Today we’re catching up with the very first guest of What Should I Read Next! Even if you're a longtime listener, you still might not recognize his voice... and that’s because the first time Anne recorded this show, it was on her iPhone, in a moving vehicle, in the middle of nowhere, and the guest? Her husband, Will Bogel. That episode never aired, and the file got trashed a long time ago. But today Will is back to celebrate the anniversary of the show he helped test-drive a year ago! It's been ...
Jan 10, 2017•42 min•Ep. 61
Happy 2017, listeners! We have a DYNAMIC episode to kick off the WSIRN New Year. Today’s guest is Melissa Joulwan. If you already know Melissa, it’s probably as the author of her popular cookbooks (and Bogel Family favorites) Well Fed, Well Fed 2, and Well Fed Weeknights. But that’s just the beginning of her bio, which is one of the most interesting you'll ever read. She’s a retired Roller Girl. Prague is her favorite city. Duran Duran is her favorite band. And her life is also made better by he...
Jan 03, 2017•51 min•Ep. 60
Our guest this week is Danielle Mayfield. Danielle lives in Portland, OR with her husband and two small children. You may know her as the author of Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith,a book of essays that was recently released by HarperOne. Danielle often writes about heavy hitting topics like refugees, theology, and downward mobility, but today she and Anne are running away from the heavy stuff and are searching for good comfort reads instead. They're c...
Dec 27, 2016•49 min•Ep. 59
Today's guest is Jamie Durham, a full-time missionary living in Tijuana, Mexico. Jamie and her well-traveled family of 5 have to cross an international border to get to a their nearest library! In this episode, Jamie and Anne dive into how this unconventional setup changes the way Jamie approaches her to-be-read list, the dreaded "you have hit your hold limit" library message, reading difficult literature as a Highly Sensitive Person, and more! Click over to the podcast website for the full list...
Dec 20, 2016•52 min•Ep. 58
Today’s guest is Shaney Swift, a massage therapist and social justice advocate from Chicago, Illinois. If you’ve been around What Should I Read Next for a while, you know Anne can be a bit of a personality-type geek, and Shaney shares that enthusiasm -- so prepare for a lot of nerding out! Today Anne and Shaney discuss scanning and deep-diving reading styles, books that help us understand our differences, and what to read next when you feel like your life is in limbo. Click over to the podcast w...
Dec 13, 2016•31 min•Ep. 57
This is a WSIRN first— a repeat guest! Today Anne chats with friend of the show and bookstore owner Holland Saltsman about everything you didn't know you wanted to know about opening an independent bookstore, how to support indies this holiday season, the best three books we each read this year, and their favorite bookish gifts for this holiday season (and all year 'round.) We hope you enjoy this episode, and get a ton of great holiday gift ideas for the readers in your life. Click over to the p...
Dec 06, 2016•50 min•Ep. 56
Around here, we don’t think you need an excuse to love Jane Austen, but boy does today's guest Rebecca Smith have a great one -- she is Jane Austen's great great great great great niece! Rebecca is a longtime reader, a former writer in residence at Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, and she currently teaches creative writing in the U.K. She’s the author of Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas and the recently published book The Jane Austen Writer’s Club. Click over to the podcast we...
Nov 29, 2016•32 min•Ep. 55
