Our 12th annual Summer Reading Guide releases this week!

We put so much time and effort into this big, big project. This year, we decided it would be fun to bring you along with us for a peek behind the scenes of how the guide gets created.

Today’s narrative episode features a bunch of voice notes and actual conversations between members of our team that take you into the nitty-gritty of making the SRG. Listen in to excerpts from team meetings about the guide, conversations about book-math, the excruciating (and arts & crafts heavy) process of final book selection, and many more of the details that go into making what has been a summer reading staple for many of you since 2012.  We've had so much fun along the way, and can't wait to share some of that journey with you before you open up your 2023 Summer Reading Guide.

We're pushing "publish" on the 2023 guide on Thursday, May 18 at 8:00am EDT (that's NYC time).

To get your guide:

Want your own copy of the 2023 MMD Summer Reading Guide? There are three ways to get the full 2023 MMD Summer Reading Guide and included Unboxing access:

Not sure which option is right for you? This page has a side-by-side comparison.

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Today's guest loves to travel, and since she hasn't been doing quite as much of that in recent years, she's relied on books to take her to a wide range of destinations.

Laurel Korwin is a wife, toddler mom, and software engineer who lives in San Francisco, and she's found her work in code overlaps nicely with her love of reading. While she reads a range of genres, Laurel has a particular affection for a certain kind of story that lets her travel to otherwise unaccessible times and places. Anne and Laurel have a great conversation about how Laurel came to identify this reading niche and what it's meant for her reading life. Laurel shares some of her favorite "impossible" destinations, while Anne recommends a handful of titles to take Laurel on new journeys this summer.

See the full list of books mentioned today over at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/379.

Summer Reading Guide news!

What you need to know about the 2023 Summer Reading Guide, coming May 18th, the blog post I mention in today's episode.

You can also learn more about how to get the guide, what's happening with Unboxing, and preorder your copy at https://members.modernmrsdarcy.com/2023-unboxing/

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Today's guest Michelle Acierno Loftus loves her work as a veterinary radiologist, but the demanding training that her career required meant that her reading life took a hit. These days, Michelle's found her way back to reading by embracing a genre she's always loved: Young Adult literature.

These days Michelle lives in Seattle with her husband and young son, and she credits her YA book club for helping her keep reading on her radar during a busy season in her life. Even better, the combination of a book club focused on a genre she's always loved and a community of similarly inspired readers has helped her feel more fully like the reader she wants to be.

Today Anne and Michelle are talking about rekindling her love of reading and the role YA books have played in Michelle's life. Anne suggests some titles that will continue to infuse this delight into Michelle's reading experience. 

Find the full list of titles mentioned today at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/378.

Get yourself ready for spring with totes and tees that rep your love of reading at modernmrsdarcy.com/store.

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Today's guest loves collecting books she finds at library sales or used bookstores, and she's ended up with a shelf full of titles that have caught her eye over the years. But Kelsey Gruber has a problem: when she sees an unread title still sitting on her shelf after a few months or more, often, the magic is gone and she's forgotten why it appealed to her in the first place. She needs Anne's help to figure out which of titles in her collection she shouldn't read next!

Kelsey is an aspiring paralegal and joins Anne today from Virginia, where she's ready to make some tricky decisions about her unread collection. Anne's here to help Kelsey better understand her reading tastes right now, and identify some titles from her shelves that might reignite that reading spark.

See the full list of titles mentioned today, and leave your suggestions for Kelsey, over at our show notes page: whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/377.

The 2023 Summer Reading Guide is almost here. Join us in Patreon to get the Guide, an invite to our live Unboxing event, and a summer full of great bonus episodes like One Great Book, Dear Book Therapist and Mini-Matchmaking. Learn more at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.

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If you loved Episode 369: State of the bookstore, you're in luck: we're back today with three more fabulous conversations with independent booksellers across the country.

Today Anne is joined to talk all things books and reading with Andrea Griffith, owner of Browsers Bookshop in Olympia, Washington; owner Alison Frenzel and book buyer Elizabeth Barnhill of the whimsical Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas; and Roxanne Coady, owner of RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut.

You might recognize these names from their previous conversations with Anne here on the show, or from your own visits to their delightful shops. Listen in today as Anne and her guests talk about what’s been happening in their stores since we last spoke, the books they can’t stop recommending, and the ways they are building bookish communities, one reader at a time.

See the full list of titles discussed today and see how you can connect with each of the bookstores featured in today's episode over at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/376.

Also on our website, last week we shared all the details for our 2023 Summer Reading Guide, coming May 18th!

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There’s something particularly enticing about a short book that delivers an incredible reading experience. Today's guest Vanessa A. Bee joins Anne to talk about short books that tell great stories in small packages.

Vanessa is an author, mother, wife, and attorney who lives in Washington, DC. She recently released a memoir called Home Bound: An Uprooted Daughter's Reflections on Belonging about her experience as an adoptee who was born in Cameroon, and raised by a Black mother and a white father in France, England, and then the United States. 

Vanessa has a lot of competing demands for her time and energy, so while she does enjoy an occasional long read, she typically looks for shorter, economically written books to help her make the most of her reading time. During their conversation today, Anne recommends shorter reads that deliver the sweeping, beautiful reading experience Vanessa loves best.

Find the full list of titles discussed today, as well as links to Vanessa's website, on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.

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Alberta-based Sarah Bramley knows what she likes when it comes to fiction, but lately she's been more and more intrigued by the nonfiction side of the bookstore. Sarah knows there's a ton of good stuff out there she'll enjoy, but she's not sure of her reading identity beyond the fiction she knows and loves. This makes it hard to know how to find the nonfiction she'll find just as unputdownable as her favorite fiction titles.

Sarah's here to get Anne's help, because Sarah wants to be purposeful about expanding her reading horizons. She'd love some personalized advice to help her find that gripping, pageturner-y nonfiction she craves.

Today, Anne and Sarah set out to unearth promising starting points for her nonfiction journey and make exploring a new reading identity feel much less daunting.

See the full list of titles mentioned in today's show at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/374.

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Two sisters with a lifelong love of reading join Anne to talk about the many ways books have framed their lives.

Anne first met Laura Gerald-Simms and Ramona Gavin in 2019 at an event at Bookmarks NC, where their passion for reading led them to make a true bookish connection. Since then, they've stayed in touch, and Anne's excited to welcome them to the show in this long-awaited conversation.

Laura and Ramona share their favorite recent reads and talk about the ways books and reading have played crucial roles in their lives, while bringing them joy in the midst of busy seasons. Anne shares some recommendations for undiscovered titles she thinks they'll both love. See that full list of books and more at our show notes: whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/373.

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Today's guest Jeff Speck is a familiar name around here! Anne's referred to his book Walkable City in a bunch of past podcast episodes, because it's a great example of how books can invite us to see and understand the world around us in a whole new way. 

We're excited to have Jeff on the show today to share more about his professional and writing experience, how his book came to be chosen for the 10th anniversary treatment, and to compile a reading list of fascinating nonfiction and fiction that opens up the world for readers.

Connect with Jeff at his website, www.jeffspeck.com, and find the full list of titles mentioned today at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/372.

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Every week, Anne does a little literary matchmaking with one guest, but today we're flipping the mic and helping Anne discover some books she just might love reading next.

The last time we asked our listeners what Anne should read next was way back in 2017, so it's definitely time for another round of crowd-sourced reading recommendations. If you tuned into Episode 367 a few weeks ago, you heard Anne share about her reading life lately, including three books she's loved and one that didn’t work for her, before asking for your recommendations. So many of you responded, and our team’s had a blast pouring through your suggestions. 

Today, Anne is joined by Media Production Specialist Holly Wielkoszewski to hear your recommendations, talk about the books you all loved, and decide what she wants to read next.

Check out the full list of titles recommended today at our shownotes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/371, and leave your suggestions for Anne there, too!

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