When the world feels heavy, many of us look to books for distraction, inspiration, or reassurance. Today's guest has a unique spin on what she's seeking and would love Anne's help in figuring out how the types of reads she wants right now fit into her existing to-be-read (TBR) system.

Émilie Weidl lives in Wales, where she's taken a year off before starting her PhD. When she's not reading or volunteering, you'll likely find her out for a walk or a hike, exploring the beautiful country around her.

Émilie has always had a good grasp on her reading tastes, but lately she's found that the historical fiction she's always loved isn't working well for her. She's also having a hard time reading nonfiction because the topics she's been drawn to in the past feel harrowing right now. Plus, she's found that the TBR management system she's relied on for ages isn't work as well as it used to.

Émilie's looking for absolutely gut-wrenching books that will distract her from her real-world worries, and a system that will help her tee up books she'll really enjoy reading right now. Anne has ideas for Émilie, as you'll hear today.

Suggest gut-wrenching reads you think Émilie might enjoy and see the full list of titles discussed today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/473.

We always have exciting things on the horizon in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, and right now is no exception. Next week, we're going to learn all about Commonplace Books: what they are, and how to keep one, also why you might want to. When you join the club, you get immediate access to this class and all of our past events, along with our 2025 Summer Reading Guide which is coming out in May. Join us for a month or longer and experience the reading buffet book club has to offer.

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Finding highly discussable books for book clubs often feels like a full-time job, especially if you're a member of multiple long-standing book clubs like today's guest, Lara.

Today, Lara joins Anne to talk about her constant search for fiction that explores the human condition in all its messy glory. She loves these sorts of books because they give her so much to talk about with her fellow readers. Recently, Lara was listening to an episode of our podcast when she heard Anne mention her appreciation for books that are literary AND, as in literary novels that also bring in strong genre elements like romance or adventure or mystery. Lara's reaction was, Oh, me too. 

In their conversation today, she and Anne talk more about books that are literary AND, and Anne recommends specific titles Lara may want to add to her TBR.

Find the full list of those titles and other links from today's show at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/472.

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Over the past few years, today's guest has been on a journey of self-discovery. Florida reader Casey has been working on coming to terms with her perfectionism and along the way, she's been noticing what it means for her reading life.

Casey's noticed she tends to save highly anticipated books for later: some uncertain time down the road when circumstances make the timing at long last completely perfect to pick up that book she's really been wanting to read.

But Casey knows firsthand that our time is limited, and it is a certainty she'll run out of time to read everything she wants to. So, how to decide what should she read right now, and how can she prompt herself to actually read those books?

Today, she and Anne explore these readerly struggles, with special emphasis on finding backlist titles that are a little bit weird, a little bit whimsical, and that just might take Casey by surprise.

Find the list of titles mentioned today and leave your suggestions for Casey over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/471.

Many of Patreon Community members enjoy the flexibility of Patreon, which lets them tune in to Bonus Episodes and other features on their own schedule. When you join us on Patreon, you'll get our weekly bonuses right in your podcast feed just like our Tuesday morning episodes, and all our live events are recorded so you can take part on your schedule. Patreon is also a tangible way to support everything we do here at What Should I Read Next?. Find out more and join us at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.

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Re-reading is a practice fits into every reader's life in a different way, and today's guest has embarked on a unique reading challenge that brings a fresh perspective to her re-reading.

Sarah Swarbrick joins Anne today from the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, to talk about the special project she's crafted in advance of her 53rd birthday. With her responsibilities shifting and her kids getting older, Sarah's finding more time for reading lately, and she's excited about having extra space to approach her books with a different kind of thoughtfulness and intention.

Sarah's decided to re-read a selection of her favorite books from childhood, and she's also trying to pair each childhood favorite with a more recent release. She's looking for books that have a lot to say to each other, that can really be in conversation with each other, and not just in the ways that are obvious on the surface. She and Anne discuss Sarah's project so far, and explore some unpaired re-reads to discover which new-to-her titles Sarah might enjoy matching with her long-standing favorites.

See the list of titles discussed today and leave your suggestions for Sarah on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/470.

Our What Should I Read Next Patreon community makes a very real difference in our ability to do the work we do: as a way to say thank you for that ongoing financial support, we share weekly bonus episodes and invite our community members to join us for special events, like our upcoming Summer Reading Guide live unboxing. Thanks to everyone who is already a part of our Patreon community, we are so appreciative. If you would like to come join us, get the details at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.

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Readers, we often receive questions from you about our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and what actually goes on in our online reading community, and today's guest is here to help Anne take you behind the scenes! You may already know Ginger Horton, our MMD Book Club Community Manager, from her prior appearances here on the podcast or because you interact with her all the time in book club.

Today, Ginger and Anne dive into all things book club, like the nitty-gritty details of our approach to choosing the titles, which we have a finely honed philosophy for, to what kinds of books we hear that our readers love the most.

Along the way Anne and Ginger talk about specific books that really stand out to Ginger from her own book club experience over the years, plus some perks that our book club members enjoy, like access to our upcoming Summer Reading Guide and live unboxing experience.

Whether you're curious about book club or you're honestly not interested at all, we think you'll really enjoy today's conversation.

Find the titles and other resources mentioned today at our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/469.

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Today's guest is a mood reader who often finds herself falling down a reading rabbit hole.

Madelyn Kresinske is an elementary school librarian, wife, and mom who reads widely from middle-grade and picture books to romance, family dramas, and more.

Madelyn doesn't hate her pattern of falling into sometimes a rut, sometimes she actually quite enjoys it, but it can also be tough to break out and figure out which title to read next. She and Anne discuss that struggle today before changing their focus to Madelyn's upcoming road trip to the Grand Canyon and other National Parks.

Madelyn would love both fiction and non-fiction titles that will captivate her attention while also getting her ready for this big trip. Anne has so many ideas for her! Around here we think that the National Park Service is one of our nation's best ideas, and in addition to being super crowded the past few years they're now grappling with staffing issues. If you can't make to a park in person this summer for whatever reason, we think you'll especially enjoy today's show.

Please let us know if you have recommendations for Madelyn by leaving a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/468, where you'll also see the full list of titles mentioned.

This week also marks the fifth anniversary of Anne's book Don't Overthink It. This book is full of practical ideas on how to tame your inner questioner, stop second-guessing yourself, and bring more joy to your life. If your thinking feels repetitive, unhealthy, or unhelpful, if you're stuck in a cycle of what-ifs plagued by indecision or paralyzed by fear of getting it wrong, or if you could just use a boost of happy in your everyday rhythms, Don't Overthink It is for you. Pick up a copy at your favorite local or online bookseller.

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Today's guest has a common readerly dilemma: what to do when reading tastes change?

In her submission to join Anne on the show, Philadelphia dweller and avid book thrifter Phoebe Mellinger shared that she'd had pretty consistent reading tastes for her whole life, until last year when she noticed that her taste suddenly and vastly changed. Her go-to genres just were't working any more.

This experience led Phoebe to embark on a year of discovery: she read a bunch of books in a range of genres, but she's not really sure where to go from here. While Phoebe is getting a better feel for what she enjoys and understanding how to talk about what she's looking for with more clarity, she's also picked up quite a few books based on enthusiastic recommendations, only to find they weren't her cup of tea.

Today she's here to get Anne's help in figuring out how to discern the difference between what simply sounds good and what may actually be a good fit for her. Anne has ideas, of course!

Please let us know if you have recommendations for Phoebe by leaving a comment over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/467, where we've also collected the list of all the titles mentioned today.

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Today's guests excel in pairing the perfect read with worldwide destinations: joining Anne today are her friends, fellow book lovers, and podcasters Mel Joulwan and Dave Humphreys. You may know them as the literary minds behind Strong Sense of Place. They've also been guests on our show a handful of times across the years.

Today, Mel and Dave are back to help Anne load up her to-be-read list with an assortment of literary tourism reads from destinations they've been to together, destinations Anne knows are on many reader wishlists, and other places that might surprise you.

We have a long list of titles to share with you today. So pack your bags and get ready to add new stamps to your literary passport. You'll find the list of books mentioned and more on our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/466.

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Every year on the Modern Mrs Darcy blog, Anne shares a post about what's saving her life right now, and today she's joined by team member Shannan Malone to talk about what's saving their reading lives lately.

Shannan is our What Should I Read Next Patreon community manager, and also our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club co-host. Today, she and Anne explore the books and habits that are making their reading lives feel good at the moment.

While preparing for this conversation, we also reached out to our Patreon community members and invited them to share what's saving their reading lives right now. We loved reading all of those responses, and we've woven a few of those comments into this episode.

Shannan and Anne wrap up today by touching on what's saving their lives beyond their reading lives, too. We hope you'll hear an idea or two that helps support your reading life, or share your own observations by leaving a comment over at our show notes page. You'll find that at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/465.

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Today's guest has a bookish birthday trip in the works. When Barbara Andrade DuBransky told us about her tradition of taking big trips with her best friend to mark big life milestones, Anne knew she wanted to talk about Barbara's upcoming European trip.

Barbara and her friend are passionate readers who rely on their libraries to help them plan and prepare for their trips. Barbara was eager to get Anne's recommendations for their upcoming destinations. Today, they talk about the place of reading in Barbara's life as well as what makes a great travel read in the first place. After narrowing down the list of possible destinations, Anne offers up a handful of recommendations for each one.

Whether you are planning a trip yourself, or are here for the armchair travel, we hope you come away from today's episode inspired to dig into a great story that will carry you away via the written word. Find the full list of titles mentioned today and leave your recommendations for Barbara at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/464.

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