Readers, today Anne is joined in bookish conversation by reading advocate, author, and creator of @hereweeread Charnaie Gordon. Charnaie's passion is encouraging young readers and supporting families in diversifying their bookshelves, which she achieves through her blog, non-profit, and internet platforms, as well as books like her latest release, A Planet Like Ours. In today's episode, Charnaie and Anne talk about how Charnaie first became a reader and the way books impacted her childhood, befo...
Aug 30, 2022•57 min•Ep 345•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, we're back with the 2022 edition of our team's favorite summer reads! This tradition started with a Patreon bonus episode back in 2020, and it's continued since then right here on our podcast feed. As a team of devout readers, in between creating this podcast and the other Modern Mrs Darcy work we do each week, we do a lot (and we mean a LOT) of talking about books. Today, we're sharing some of those conversations with you. We've gathered into three different groups to talk about what s...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 344•Transcript available on Metacast While we love sharing book recommendations each week, we also take great pleasure in helping our guests overcome whatever reading-related struggle they're facing at the moment. Today, Anne's talking to a guest who is torn between reading for pleasure and reading the books they feel they should be reading … even if they don’t enjoy the experience. Academic librarian Lorelei Rutledge is clear on what's working in their reading life, and they regularly turn to the specific genre that always brings ...
Aug 16, 2022•58 min•Ep 343•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, today's guest shares a common reader struggle: finding the time to read! Today, Mattie James—a successful business owner and new author, releasing her first book Everyday Magic later this month—joins Anne to talk about her love of reading nonfiction. But as a busy professional, Mattie often finds it hard to make the time to read. She's looking for solutions to make the most of her time reading, even if it's just for a few minutes. Mattie grew up with a love of reading nurtured by her fa...
Aug 09, 2022•57 min•Ep 342•Transcript available on Metacast Around here, we love celebrating reading memories and creating new ones, and today's show does just that! Anne's newest book journal for young readers, My Reading Adventures, is out today—and to celebrate the power of reading in young lives, we asked our listeners to share some of their favorite childhood reading memories. Anne's here, too, of course, with some moments that stand out in her reading memory. Plus, in today's episode we embark on a journey between the pages of My Reading Advent...
Aug 02, 2022•26 min•Ep 341•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode, Anne is chatting with author, actress, and audiobook narrator Julia Whelan. You may know Julia from her novel My Oxford Year, or her new book releasing August 2nd, Thank You For Listening, and many readers are also familiar with Julia's voice from her many audiobook narrations. Anne and Julia chat about the art and process of creating the audiobooks so many readers love, and reflect on the joys and challenges of the professional reading life, before sharing a long list of tit...
Jul 26, 2022•52 min•Ep 340•Transcript available on Metacast Adrien Kordas has always identified as a reader, and in the past few years she's been excited about completing grad school so she could devote more time to reading for fun. But now that she actually has the time to read at whim, she's been surprised to find that the kind of titles she's loved in the past aren't working as well for her, and she's not sure what to do about it. In today's conversation, Anne and Adrien talk about recapturing the childhood magic of reading and what to do when your re...
Jul 19, 2022•52 min•Ep 339•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, we're so excited to share today's collaboration with you. Anne is joined on the show today by Craig Getting and Andrew Cunningham, hosts of the show Overdue–a podcast about the books you’ve been meaning to read. On their podcast, Craig and Andrew explore the backlist titles many readers feel like they “should” have read by now, but today, Anne, Craig, and Andrew talk about a wide range of bookish topics, from the perks of having a built-in reading buddy, to the titles they would never h...
Jul 12, 2022•58 min•Ep 338•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today, Chicago-area reader Rebecca Freeman, struggles with a reading challenge we hear about often from guests and community members: how to balance being a mood reader with maintaining any kind of to-be-read list. In Rebecca's reading life, she's found the library a big help: browsing what's available to check out at any given time lets her bring some serendipity into selecting her next read. But while she shies away from anything that feels like a prescriptive list, she'd like to hav...
Jul 05, 2022•47 min•Ep 337•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, June is audiobook month, and in today's conversation, Anne talks with a dedicated audiophile who wants to discover the formula for a great audio reading experience! Jackie Branz works as a gardener and florist on a private estate, and while she's hard at work keeping the plants happy and thriving, she also gets to enjoy another of her great loves: reading. Jackie enjoys getting pulled into a great audiobook while she's working in the garden, but sometimes she struggles to find the right...
Jun 21, 2022•41 min•Ep 336•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, our guest today is on the hunt for overlooked titles and compelling characters that feel like friends. Andrea Medina lives in Mexico, where she reads in both Spanish and English to expand the range of options on her shelf. Since falling in love with the power of a gripping story as a teen, Andrea's sought out complex tales that speak to real life, and books that she'll keep thinking about after turning the final page. Today, Anne and Andrea talk about rediscovering what you really love ...
Jun 14, 2022•37 min•Ep 335•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest knows what he likes on the nonfiction shelf, but he's feeling lost when it comes to finding his next fiction read, and Anne is here to help. Wes Martin's developed a love of nonfiction in both his professional role as an industrial and organizational psychologist, and in his personal life. But recently, Wes has found himself turning more to fiction for his reading enjoyment, and he's not very confident about navigating this section of the bookstore. This is especially frustrating b...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep 334•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, a good book makes a perfect vacation companion, and today we're pairing a cross-section of titles with three fabulous summery destinations! Joining Anne on the show today is Lynette Calleros, a travel agent who wants to provide her customers with curated, destination-inspired reading lists. She's here for Anne's help in matching three of her commonly booked destinations with “book flights”—purposeful, thematic literary pairings—she can suggest to her travelers. Lynette and Anne also cha...
May 31, 2022•50 min•Ep 333•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, today we're thrilled to welcome Emily Henry to the show! You may recognize her from the 2021 Summer Reading Guide, where we featured her book People We Meet on Vacation, or our Modern Mrs Darcy book club, where she joined us in a delightful conversation. Today, Emily and Anne talk about the titles they reach for when the temperatures rise and the pool (or beach) beckon, and what they mean when they describe a book as a "beach read". They'll also dive into conversation about her brand-ne...
May 24, 2022•48 min•Ep 332•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, it's almost summer reading season (our 2022 Summer Reading Guide releases next week!), and today's conversation is just filled with summer reading energy. It's also a What Should I Read Next first, as we have four readers talking books and reading in today's show. Dive into summer reading today with Anne, her husband Will, and their reading buddies Melissa Joulwan and Dave Humphreys. You may recognize Mel and Dave from when they joined Anne in WSIRN Episode 219: Required reading revisit...
May 17, 2022•53 min•Ep 331•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, today's guest came later in life to a career that she now loves, and one of her favorite parts of the job? Nurturing budding readers! As a third and fourth-grade teacher, Katrina Fleming has a plan for getting her kids hooked on reading, but lately she’s felt like her plan for her own reading life has been letting her down. Katrina knows what she likes to read, but she's found it hard to feel truly drawn into the books she's picked up lately, and she's ready for some recommendations so ...
May 10, 2022•45 min•Ep 330•Transcript available on Metacast Our first Norwegian guest, Lisa Sølvberg is a lifelong reader who loves a complicated family saga. She also has a particular appreciation for the audiobooks that accompany her athletic pursuits, as you'll hear in today's conversation. Lisa and Anne talk about the power of book journaling and what Lisa's learned about her reading life as a result of adopting this habit. Then, they explore some of the books Lisa's loved and the type of reads she's looking for right now. Anne leaves Lisa with a lis...
May 03, 2022•52 min•Ep 329•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, if you've ever dreamed of opening a bookstore, this episode is for you! Today, Anne's in conversation with Abbigail Glen, the owner of Shelves, an online and pop-up bookstore based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Abby discovered the power of reading at a young age, and decided to make her dream of being a bookstore owner a reality. In her conversation with Anne today, Abby shares how Shelves came to be, her work to create a reading community where reading is a lifestyle, and what she's lo...
Apr 26, 2022•35 min•Ep 328•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest is both an avid leisure reader and a professional word nerd. Gary Robinaugh has always been fascinated with the role language plays in our lives. His career studying Aphasia—a language disorder caused by a specific type of brain damage—explores the relationship between thought, language, and communication, and he's equally fascinated by these themes outside of the office. Gary grew up in a reading home with a heavy helping of science fiction, a genre he still enjoys for its unique ...
Apr 19, 2022•45 min•Ep 327•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest is an author whose books are regularly discussed in our online community, and she's here to talk with Anne today about the practice of seeking inspiration, and the books she can't stop recommending to the people in her life—and, of course, to get some suggestions for what to read next! Shauna Niequist is the author of numerous books, including Present Over Perfect, Bread and Wine, and her brand-new release I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet. She's also a devoted reader, and while s...
Apr 12, 2022•43 min•Ep 326•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, today’s guest is preparing for the arrival of her second child in a particularly bookish way—she's looking for some titles she can enjoy during upcoming midnight feedings and quiet moments with her newborn. Odeta Dyrmishi has loved to read since high school, and she's relied on books to carry her through other big changes in her life. Whether she's reading entertaining fiction or historical books that teach her something new, she knows that reading is something that always helps her fee...
Apr 05, 2022•43 min•Ep 325•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, last week's guest told us about her grandmother signing her up for her first library card, and today's guest is a grandmother who is nurturing the next generation of readers! Joanne Booy spent most of her life living internationally in a wide range of locations, but one thing has remained constant in her life—her passion for reading! She's relied on books to be companions in isolated corners of the globe, and she's worked hard to make books accessible to others, too. So it's not surpris...
Mar 22, 2022•47 min•Ep 324•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, if you love a good mystery series, you'll definitely want to tune in for today's episode. Our guest today has been a reader since she was young, and as an adult she discovered her favorite genre: mysteries! Houston Luke especially loves mystery series featuring engaging main characters like Louise Penny's Gamache or Agatha Christie's Poirot. But now that she's mostly caught up on the backlist titles from her favorite mystery authors, she needs some new puzzles to solve. Houston is looki...
Mar 15, 2022•47 min•Ep 323•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s guest is an oil and watercolor painter with a deep appreciation for the storytelling power of both art and writing. As a child, Gina Ariko Marioni discovered how language could help her better understand the world around her, and to this day, reading brings her joy. But lately, Gina's been feeling stuck in her reading life. While she's used to reading a wide range of stories from coming-of-age tales to complex, multigenerational epics, in the past year or so she's found herself either re...
Mar 08, 2022•45 min•Ep 322•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s guest discovered the joy of reading as a child listening to audiobooks on 45s. As an adult, she still turns to audiobooks consistently, and especially loves listening to books in the car with her boys or tackling some self-help titles on her commute. Tiffany Uzor is regularly on the hunt for new reads that will draw her in immediately or transport her somewhere else. Tiffany describes herself as a serial starter—she’s up for beginning any book that sounds interesting, and as a mental hea...
Mar 01, 2022•45 min•Ep 321•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, today's guests were already linked through legal and family ties, and since discovering their mutual love of reading, they've become even closer. Father-in-law and daughter-in-law Verne and Gabby Wright hit it off from the start, but their friendship deepened when Gabby lent Verne a book from her personal library. It was the start of a beautiful reading relationship! Gabby and Verne have found that their reading interests intersect with contemplative, philosophical stories that make the...
Feb 22, 2022•44 min•Ep 320•Transcript available on Metacast When Erin Fagan sent in her guest submission describing herself as a “grumpy man whisperer” who turns to books to create connections, we just had to invite her onto the show. Erin works as an airline pilot and spends hours in the air with her colleagues. To quickly build relationships in a small space, she's found a perfect shortcut: talking about books! Luckily, Erin loves to read widely and can rely on her reading rolodex for almost any conversation. She's an avid audiobook reader, but today s...
Feb 15, 2022•44 min•Ep 319•Transcript available on Metacast Readers, our guest today is sharing a struggle that feels increasingly common: she's finding herself easily distracted when reading, and she's not happy about it! Hannah Gorrie has always loved reading and has a sweet spot for fast-paced doorstoppers that totally engross her attention. But lately, she's felt like she just can't get into reading as easily, or stay as engaged as she used to. Anne and Hannah talk about the type of reading experiences Hannah's loved in the past, then Anne gives Hann...
Feb 08, 2022•46 min•Ep 318•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode, Anne's not the only one giving the recommendations: guest Shreyasi Desai, who also goes by Cece, passes on her own suggestions for our reading community. Cece grew up in India, where her parents fed her a regular reading diet of mysteries and mythologies. Today, Cece lives in the U.K. and is on the hunt for books featuring serious, angsty topics explored in lyrical and compelling ways. During their conversation today, Cece shares some of her favorite Indian mythologies and ad...
Feb 01, 2022•44 min•Ep 317•Transcript available on Metacast Here at What Should I Read Next? and Modern Mrs Darcy HQ, our team of bibliophiles talks books all year long, and today our whole team is chiming in to share what they loved most in their 2021 reading life. Our team has a wide range of reading tastes, so our selections today are all over the literary map, but one thing holds true: each of these books made a major impact on a member of our team, and stood out from the thousands of pages we each read over the past year. Our conversation today debu...
Jan 25, 2022•51 min•Ep 316•Transcript available on Metacast 
