Today's guest Tiffany Patterson is a small-town reader who has created a new kind of literary get-together that is convincing her friends to give books a shot, even if they didn’t consider themselves “readers” before Tiffany got a hold of them. Tiffany is also ready to break down her own reading barriers… she asked Anne to help ease her fiction-loving soul into NONfiction that will help her "feel smarter". Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and tell ...
Jan 08, 2019•46 min•Ep 166•Transcript available on Metacast If you entered the new year dreaming of a fresh approach to your reading life, today’s guest Jim Mustich is sharing decades of wisdom to help kick off your best reading year ever. Anne and Jim chat about his new book 1000 Books to Read Before You Die, and why reading 1000 books might not be as daunting as it first sounds, then Jim takes on the book matchmaking mantle recommends which of the 1000 books he thinks *Anne* should prioritize in the new year. Here's to another year of literary matchmak...
Jan 01, 2019•56 min•Ep 165•Transcript available on Metacast Chelsey and Curtis are childhood sweethearts looking to connect over a good book… and possibly, across an ocean. But their reading taste might not be as compatible as their personalities. Today they get brutally honest about their least-favorite books (Chelsey’s may shock you), Curtis gives a peek at his favorites from the Army’s required reading list, and Anne pushes them both out of their comfort zone with her recommendations. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in ...
Dec 18, 2018•45 min•Ep 164•Transcript available on Metacast Ashley Gossens created a nature-driven Seattle book club that brings the page to life in an adventurous, completely unique way. Today, Ashley and Anne talk about the wildlife encounter that made brought a book up-close and personal, what nature has taught Ashley about motherhood, and the particular, magical way a book can affect your confidence. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and tell us in the comments what YOU think Ashley should read on the tr...
Dec 11, 2018•33 min•Ep 163•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s guest Traci Thomas has had a hard time finding her niche in the online bookish community, because, as she puts it, she “reads like a dad”. But I have a hunch lots of listeners will relate to her obsession with true crime and the literary search for truth. We’re chatting about books that strengthen your sense of belonging, Traci’s reluctance to read fiction, and the best bad ending she has EVER read. If you recognize her voice, there’s a reason for that… she hosts snappy podcast book club...
Dec 04, 2018•54 min•Ep 162•Transcript available on Metacast Literary podcast nerds rejoice–Ann Kingman of Books On The Nightstand fame is behind the mic once more! We asked you to call and write in about the people you want to give the gift of a good read this year… and WOW, you all delivered! Ann and Anne are dishing out rapid-fire recommendations for young AND old readers with highly varied literary interests. You’ll also get to hear what Ann’s been up to since Books on the Nightstand shut its doors, and both their favorite bookish-but-NOT-book gifts f...
Nov 27, 2018•1 hr 10 min•Ep 161•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever read a book that made the world around you feel just a little bit… magical? Today Anne welcomes author Jon Cohen on the show to chat about the magic of the mundane life in fiction, his unorthodox path to writing, the mighty bookworm women in his life, and what it was like to live with the school librarian as a child. Plus, Anne recommends three books guaranteed to make Jon's everyday just a little bit more... magical. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned ...
Nov 20, 2018•39 min•Ep 160•Transcript available on Metacast Shawntaye Hopkins discovered Jane Austen’s books for the first time as an adult - and after that initial discovery, she dove in DEEP. Today, Anne and Shawntaye chat about the magic of immersive literary events that celebrate the classics (not just Jane!) and how they’ve changed the way Shawntaye reads her most beloved books. They also explore TEN YEARS of book journaling, the book Shawntaye is still hungover from, the things readers do for fear of missing a good book, and Anne's recommendation f...
Nov 13, 2018•47 min•Ep 159•Transcript available on Metacast If you have a gigantic pile of books that you own but haven’t yet read looming somewhere in your house, today's guest Whitney Conard totally gets you. Anne is chatting with Whitney about the Instagram endeavor #TheUnreadShelfProject, saying goodbye to reading shame, the right and not-quite-right times to read (for instance, in math class) and then, at Whitney’s invitation, Anne takes a hard look at Whitney’s unread shelf to help her decide what she should read next. Click over to the podcast web...
Nov 06, 2018•56 min•Ep 158•Transcript available on Metacast Today Anne chats with a reader who turned her family’s difficult story into a book that has brought joy and hope to countless readers. Georgia Hunter got curious about her family history, and a few questions put to the right relatives uncovered something she didn’t expect—a sweeping multi-generational drama just begging to be written down. So, she did. That story became We Were the Lucky Ones, a historical fiction novel Anne discussed with Clara Breitenmoser in Ep 131, and at WSIRN Live! from Th...
Oct 30, 2018•51 min•Ep 157•Transcript available on Metacast Clear your calendars -- today’s episode might inspire you to rethink and rearrange your whole home library. Myquillyn Smith, author of home decor books Cozy Minimalist Home and The Nesting Place, joins Anne to chat about the revelation of ribbon on a bookshelf, spunky iconoclastic women in fiction, why she doesn’t have a library card, and books that give you a kick in the pants... what she does to dust jackets might horrify you, but you’ll be laughing all the way. Click over to the podcast websi...
Oct 23, 2018•44 min•Ep 156•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s guests ask Anne to bridge the divide between an imaginative-fiction lover and a scientific-NONfiction lover. Ashley and Brent are a father-daughter reading duo who share an Audible account and a love for an untold story. Anne, Ashley, and Brent cover everything from Ashley’s mega-popular most HATED book, how they survive differing tastes to make reading a family affair, and the story of who stole whose Audible credits... Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in ...
Oct 16, 2018•41 min•Ep 155•Transcript available on Metacast Today, guest RuthAnn Deveney lead Anne into the world of special-interest reading, discussing how her passion for victim advocacy brought powerful literature into her life that she wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. They also chat about sensitive-reader self-care how books are like spicy food, books that would be much better as the 10 minute TED Talks that inspired them… and so much more. Be aware that today’s episode contains some conversation about human trafficking and physical abuse. If you...
Oct 09, 2018•56 min•Ep 154•Transcript available on Metacast Kari Sweeney is a working mom of four who has developed a VERY unique system to keep her reading life running like clockwork. Kari and Anne chat about wishy washy star ratings, the right season for the right book, reading at the grocery store... and Kari is sharing her secret to getting the hottest new books the week they release -- for FREE. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and leave a comment telling us what YOU think Kari should read next: http:...
Oct 02, 2018•42 min•Ep 153•Transcript available on Metacast Get ready for a serious TBR-filler. Today’s guest Elham Ali flips the script to recommend Canadian literature to Anne… but turnabout is fair play, and Anne won't let her leave without some of HER favorite CanLit recommendations. It's a bookish road trip around the Great White North, full of juicy book-marketing gossip, literary sin revelry, and much much more. Stick around until AFTER the credits to hear one last clip about Elham meeting an unexpected reading hero on the bus. It’s so good, you d...
Sep 25, 2018•53 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest populates the “candy aisle” of the bookstore. Maria Ribas is a literary agent who specializes in gorgeous full-color cookbooks and snappy self-help! So yes, she totally has it covered in the nonfiction department, but her fiction game could use a little freshening… and that’s where Anne comes in. Whether you like exploring the stories behind a great recipe, letting a lush historical novel sweep you away, or pumping yourself up with a snarky self-help book, today’s episode will nour...
Sep 18, 2018•58 min•Ep 151•Transcript available on Metacast Until recently, reading was a means to an end in language arts teacher Julie Mushkin's life - and the type of book that totally turned things around for her may surprise you. Today, Anne and Julie are recommending books perfectly suited for both teens AND adults, chatting about serious book projects, what to do when you have no reading stamina, and infiltrating the not-so-secret world of teens... Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and leave a comment...
Sep 11, 2018•48 min•Ep 150•Transcript available on Metacast WSIRN’s producer Brenna Frederick is in the virtual studio today, and she’s bringing an armload of YOUR questions to the table, gathered from email, instagram, and the comment section. What did Anne do with her life before she became a blogger and podcaster? What movie is TOTALLY better than the book it’s based on? How do guests get themselves on the show? Are audiobooks really considered “reading”? They're answering all these questions and more, plus dropping a bunch of book recommendations str...
Sep 04, 2018•48 min•Ep 149•Transcript available on Metacast We’ve talked more than once on WSIRN about how the power of reading aloud forges family bonds… and today’s guest, Laura Summerhill, puts that thought into action in a brilliant and life-affirming way. But she’s also been out of the pleasure reading game for a long, long time while working on her PhD, and today Anne attempts to reconnect her with what everyone’s been talking about in the book world while she’s been gone. Anne is going on book tour! Find out if she's coming to your area: http://an...
Aug 28, 2018•47 min•Ep 148•Transcript available on Metacast Anne chats with Marines Alvarez and Nicole Sweeney, bookworm best friends who like to keep their reading life SOCIAL. Together they host the podcast Snark Squad, where they rehash books, tv, and movies with a sharp eye and a lot of laughs. True to character, Marines and Nicole brought the giggles to WSIRN -- they're about how the internet has changed reading forever, destroying their childhood favorites, controversial star rating opinions, books that really sucker punch you in the feels, and mor...
Aug 21, 2018•51 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast Today, Anne has an incredible conversation with Chatti Phal-Brown about how war, family, trauma, joy, and hope for the future have shaped her reading life. Chatti requests recommendations from a genre almost NEVER discussed on the show, and her least favorite book might surprise you... CONTENT WARNING: Today’s episode gets emotional at times, and Chatti speaks candidly about topics like genocide, sexual assault, and racism. If those topics might be triggering for you, please take care of yoursel...
Aug 14, 2018•58 min•Ep 146•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 
