As a city planner in Calgary, Caylee Dyck knows how to problem solve and prioritize in order to create better communities and a more liveable cities–built environments people feel good spending time in. But when it comes to her reading life, Caylee is struggling to create a pleasing, welcoming, workable model for choosing what to read next. With over 900 titles on her To Be Read list and more than 150 ebooks on her Kindle, she's feeling a bit overwhelmed. Anne helps Caylee transform her literary...
Aug 03, 2021•52 min•Ep. 293
Regular listeners know good book talk often blends the heavy and the light—and that is certainly true for today's show. Today's episode is tons of fun, and has us thinking about our own life-changing literary experiences. As an avid library user and member of two book clubs, our guest Loren Mueller has no problem adding potential life-changing reads to her To Be Read list, and then diving in. But she does have trouble remembering specific details from what she read—and today, we’re gonna figure ...
Jul 27, 2021•49 min•Ep. 292
Behind the scenes at What Should I Read Next? and Modern Mrs. Darcy, we have a team of readers who are bursting with bookish enthusiasm. Our producer Brenna paired us up in our virtual recording studio, matching team members you’ve never heard discuss books together on the show. Our reading tastes are vastly different, but we quickly discovered that talking about books creates instant connections—even when reading preferences don’t seem to match up at all. We had the best time discussing what su...
Jul 20, 2021•56 min•Ep. 291
Today’s guest describes herself as a serial starter who might have started up to 10 books before finishing one. She even keeps moving through several books at once by reading different genres at different times of the day. Shanel Sparr is an artistic Jill of all Trades–acting, directing, crocheting and designing clothes. But as an avid collector of hobbies, reading still holds a distinct place in her life—and she highly values being well-rounded as a reader. Shanel loves books that explore a cha...
Jul 13, 2021•46 min•Ep. 290
Today’s guest created a unique plan to help him tackle the books one “must read before they die,” but now he’s looking for less planning and more bookish serendipity. Author, blogger, and podcaster Neil Pasricha hosts the show 3 Books, where he talks with avid readers about the three most formative books in their lives. The show originated as a way for Neil to find lesser known titles and backlist books to boost his reading life. Now, he finds himself assigning too much “reading homework,” and h...
Jun 29, 2021•49 min•Ep. 289
Are you a book collector? Today's guest has a bookshelf full of vintage beauty guidebooks, and though she considers this a separate part of her bookish life, there were some surprising connections to her taste in crime fiction. After hearing about her collection, you may not be surprised to find out that Brenda LaBelle is a make-up artist turned librarian. She's looking for more than a pretty cover though, Brenda likes books with stylish prose and memorable characters. Listen now wherever you ge...
Jun 22, 2021•45 min•Ep. 288
Today's guest loves discussing books just as much as she enjoys reading them. She's ready to swap spicy opinions and share book recommendations with her fellow readers, but she hasn't found those fellow readers just yet. Allison Matz prefers to be Twitter and Instagram-free even though she knows there are vibrant book communities online. Today she comes to us with a question: with no social media, how is an avid reader supposed to connect with her book people? Anne has some advice for Allison, a...
Jun 15, 2021•50 min•Ep. 287
If you've been listening to podcasts or tearing through a new series on Netflix instead of picking up a book, we're here to cheer you on (really)! Different forms of art and storytelling can be a refreshing change of pace for avid readers, and taking a break from the books might even benefit your reading life in the long run. But today's guest came to us with a request for books that will hold his attention and get him back to turning the pages instead of pressing play on another podcast episode...
Jun 08, 2021•45 min•Ep. 286
Even though reading is a solitary activity, you’re never truly alone as a reader. You’re never the only reader who prefers dog-eared pages to bookmarks or the only reader who reads the last page first. Today’s guest used to feel self-conscious about her affection for stories that explore difficult themes. But we know that Rachel Matthews isn’t the only reader who enjoys darker fiction. In fact, I’m willing to bet that some of you have been waiting for an episode with a reader just like Rachel. C...
Jun 01, 2021•52 min•Ep. 285
Over the last year, we’ve talked to readers who voraciously devour romance, mystery, and graphic novels to escape real life—and readers who struggle to pick up a single book, even if they know it’s one they’ll love. There’s no right way to respond to stress as a reader, and today’s guest is here to share encouragement and insight for readers experiencing burnout. Journalist Anne Helen Petersen writes the weekly email newsletter Culture Study and recently published Can’t Even: How Millennials Bec...
May 25, 2021•46 min•Ep. 284
This episode has literally been years in the making: today I'm thrilled to welcome Ginger Horton, our Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club community manager, to the show! The 2021 Summer Reading Guide is about to drop, and in this celebratory episode, Ginger shares her three favorite backlist summer reading guide selections, and I recommend three books I think she’ll love from this year’s summer reading guide. Of course, we can’t help squeezing in extra book talk, as we often do, so listen in for a pile ...
May 18, 2021•56 min•Ep. 283
I think many of you will relate when you hear today's guest say he’s “a little bit obsessed with books.” This is definitely a good thing for Jeremy Anderberg because not only is reading a source of enjoyment and intellectual satisfaction, it’s also a key part of his job as a writer and podcast producer. He writes for The Art of Manliness blog, produces The Art of Manliness podcast, and publishes the "Read More Books” newsletter. Today we discuss the difference between finding what you like to re...
May 11, 2021•53 min•Ep. 282
Lecturer, author, and researcher Heather Williams has left trails of books across the globe as she travels for work, but today she’s bringing us three favorite essay collections she can’t live without. Heather’s love of bite-sized reading experiences is contagious. If you’ve never picked up an essay collection, she just might convince you to do so today. We also discuss her preference for reliable narrators, a surprising fascination with Russian literature, and a book that made Heather laugh a l...
May 04, 2021•56 min•Ep. 281
After becoming an avid WSIRN listener, today's guest realized she was watching less TV and reading more books. To keep her momentum going, she connected with other listeners, found her favorite reading categories, and now sits down with Anne to chat about a classic WSIRN problem: the compulsion to finish every book she starts. Today we're joined by Stacy Wittenberg, who talks to Anne about that inclination and about a reading challenge she’s taken on for this year. Anne recommends books that wil...
Apr 27, 2021•42 min•Ep. 280
Over the years Ahtoosa Dale sent in multiple submissions to be on What Should I Read Next, each one reflecting her ever-evolving reading taste. Since that first submission way back in 2016, her reading life has changed tremendously. Now, as a lawyer and a mom with a packed schedule, she’s more willing than she once was to set certain books aside. And as an adult, she’s looking for relatable characters—especially if the book explores the immigrant experience. But Ahtoosa will never say no to a go...
Apr 20, 2021•44 min•Ep. 279
Mindy Mejia enjoys propulsive, fast-paced books with strong characters—and she writes them, too! Mindy writes thrillers, or as she calls them “murdery books,” but she reads from a whole banquet of literature. Anne got to talk with her about setting reading intentions, sampling books—which, as you’ll hear, is a bit of a euphemism—and learning about surprisingly fascinating topics as we read. As always, she recommends a handful of books we think Mindy will love, including an upcoming thriller that...
Apr 13, 2021•53 min•Ep. 278
Today Anne is talking with Jake Sloofman, an arborist living in Brooklyn. They discuss his big reading goal, the pressure to read “serious literature,” and how to alternate light and heavy reads for a balanced reading life. So Anne serves up a mix of weighty literature and frothy “palate cleanser” books to keep things balanced. View the full list of titles and a transcript of the episode on our website https://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/277. You can follow Jake on Instagram. Learn more about...
Apr 06, 2021•37 min•Ep. 277
Podcast producer and PhD student Sara Aeder always finds time for reading, thanks to audiobooks and a passion for turning the pages. She has a special fondness for books that explore the “exquisite pain of a teenage crush” and let her live vicariously through fictional drama, but Sara’s taste in books goes way beyond young adult lit. Today on the podcast, Sara shares three books she loves that cover the main themes of her reading taste, and I recommend several titles that I think she'll love. We...
Mar 23, 2021•48 min•Ep. 276
How do you manage your reading life when you have many books you NEED to read, and many more you'd LIKE to read, just for you? In today's episode we're diving into that question with Brigid Misselhorn, a self-described "book club addict" who offers insight into this highly relatable question. Bonus: Brigid describes herself as a "naturally slow" reader; we know many of you love it when our guest's reading life mirrors your own in this specific way. From graphic novels to gothic mysteries, today’...
Mar 16, 2021•49 min•Ep. 275
Readers, the origin story for today’s episode might make you swoon. It all started with a conversation on Instagram, where Anne got a message from one incredibly intentional boyfriend hoping to make some bookish dreams come true. After learning more, we invited his girlfriend Ashley on the show, and I’ll let her tell the whole story today. Ashley Parrish is a book lover and self-proclaimed TV junkie who enjoys scrolling bookstagram but wants to find more backlist titles instead of picking up eve...
Mar 09, 2021•39 min•Ep. 274
Readers, today’s show is a de-light. We have had mother-daughter duos on the show and even a father-daughter duo with Ashley and Brent from episode 155, but today Anne talks with Rebekah and Beverly, our first grandmother-granddaughter pair — and Beverly is our first nonogenarian! When Rebekah sent in a guest submission she included three books she and Beverly both love, but then she put her own fun twist on the rest. She told us one book that Beverly loved and Rebekah hated, and another Rebekah...
Mar 02, 2021•47 min•Ep. 273
Today Anne's guest is an Alabama teacher whose love of reading has touched every aspect of his life—from where he met his wife to the theme of his classroom today. Derek is a MATH teacher but he puts his reading right there on the wall for his students to see and he loves talking books with fellow teachers. You're going to love this conversation about his early library adventures, the books he’s passing down to his son, and the gorgeous engagement photos he and his wife took in the library where...
Feb 23, 2021•38 min•Ep. 272
How do you track your reading life? Today's guest has a whole new system of book tracking and reviewing to share. Anne is talking with Nadia Odunayo, the reader and entrepreneur behind The Storygraph, a brand new website full of tracking tools and detailed rating systems to help readers go beyond a book’s jacket copy and filter through information to find what they’re really looking for. We love hearing behind the scenes stories and it was fascinating to hear Nadia explain how this creative ende...
Feb 16, 2021•53 min•Ep. 271
Readers, in today's podcast episode, I’m talking with graphic memoirist and comic creator Lucy Knisley. We chat about her overflowing bookshelves, the pleasures and pitfalls of the creative process, what makes the perfect pandemic stress read, and how to cope with your kids’ evolving reading tastes. Lucy is looking for distraction in her reading life right now and needs some low-stress books to read before bed; I have plenty of recommendations to suit her taste (and fill your to-be-read lists). ...
Feb 09, 2021•41 min•Ep. 270
Today’s guest is Tiffany Patterson, a Florida reader who created a new kind of literary get-together that is convincing her not-so-readerly friends to give books and reading a chance. She breaks down all the details of her brilliant idea so that you can steal it and start your own group. This episode was recorded in 2019 and aired as Episode 166: Just don’t call it book club. That means this was pre-Covid, so we talk about getting together as actually getting together. It also means that some of...
Feb 02, 2021•44 min•Ep. 269
At the end of last year we hosted a virtual book party in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club to celebrate our favorite books of the year. The whole What Should I Read Next and Modern Mrs Darcy teams shared their top books of 2020 and we all walked away with a longer To Be Read list. Our team is made up of a bunch of bookworms with very different reading tastes, but that doesn’t stop us from swapping book recommendations all the time. We recorded that event (as we do with all of our Book Club events...
Jan 26, 2021•52 min•Ep. 268
Our guest today is an economist and literature enthusiast based in London, England. A well-traveled reader in every sense, Stephanie De Mel has lived on multiple continents and combines her love of travel and books in her Reading the World Challenge. Steph’s sense of curiosity informs her book choices and her broad reading tastes challenge Anne to recommend three books to suit. Steph also shares how she applies her analytical tendencies to her reading life–looking at her bookish data while focus...
Jan 19, 2021•54 min•Ep. 267
Readers, it’s the 5th anniversary of What Should I Read Next! Today I'm answering YOUR questions about WSIRN's behind-the-scenes, my personal reading life, and so much more. Thank you for submitting such thoughtful and fun questions! I did my best to answer as many as possible, and you can find answers to frequently asked questions linked in the show notes below. Happy reading! -Anne Visit the podcast website at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/266 to see the full list of titles discussed, an epis...
Jan 12, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 266
Readers, we’re kicking off the new year with a special episode to help you set the right tone for your reading life in 2021. My friend Laura Tremaine is joining me to guide us in some readerly introspection. Laura hosts the Ten Things to Tell You podcast, where she shares guided questions and prompts to help listeners reflect on different aspects of their lives. Laura brings her expert skills as a conversation-starter to our literary therapy session today. Here at WSIRN, we love thinking about b...
Jan 05, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 265
Anne's challenge today is to share recommendations for books with unique and artful structures. Today's guest is a Chicago-based mood reader with a contagious love of books. When Anna Morton isn't working or volunteering for the Art Institute of Chicago, she's reading “compulsively readable literary fiction,” a term Anne fondly coined for books with the perfect combination of page-turning plot and stunning prose. Reading is also a family affair for Anna, who proudly plays the role of “literary c...
Dec 22, 2020•44 min•Ep. 264
