What Should I Read Next?

If you've listened in to any—or all!— of our past 300 episodes, you've heard conversations with readers and authors, booksellers and book club members, and of course a whole lot of literary matchmaking. Today, after more than five years of creating bookish delight, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the people and process behind our weekly podcast and explore the many layers of WSIRN!

Listen in today to hear from some of our original voices as we talk about how the show began, how it's grown over time, and peek behind the scenes of how we do what we do here at WSIRN HQs. We'll also hear from some of you about how this podcast has changed your reading lives!

You can find our show notes, including a list of all the episodes mentioned in today's discussion, at our website! And for more 300th celebration, check out our Patreon community, where we're hosting an upcoming special event featuring some of WSIRN's most beloved authors.

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Readers, we know it can be tricky to break out of a reading rut, and sometimes it takes a nudge from a friend to try something new.

Michael Clark has a good handle on what he loves to read. From beach reads that don't get the respect they deserve, to stories that acknowledge their literary heritage, he reaches across genres when he's picking up his next book and he's not afraid to put down a book that's not right for him. But today, he's feeling stuck in a bit of a reading drought.

Michael's hoping to reinvigorate his reading life by discovering some books that deliver on his love of well-developed characters while delving into genres he typically ignores, like science fiction.

Be sure to listen all the way through to hear Anne's picks for Michael, including a special bonus selection at the end of the episode today.

Read this episode's show notes, including the full list of books we discussed, at our website. And if you're interested in seeing what Michael reads next, connect with him on Instagram.

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Today's guest loves Jane Austen, but that's just the beginning for our conversation today.

Cristina Griffin's work life as an English professor often overlaps with her personal love of reading for pure fun! She's drawn to atmospheric stories with brilliant endings and compelling characters, and she's read all the way through many an author's backlist.

Anne recommends books that fit Cristina's desire for contemporary novels that are fun to read and a new-to-her series she can slowly devour. We hope today's episode might inspire you to break down some boundaries in your reading life and find a new, immersive read you'll enjoy.

Visit our website to see the (long) list of books we discussed during this episode!

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Readers, today’s guest is on the hunt for complex, thought-provoking, and timeless books that have something to say about topics she cares about today.

Maria Carrera lives in Spain, where she teaches English language. Her heart for languages drives both her professional and her reading life! She loves the experience of matching a book to her reading mood - and then choosing which translation of that book to read.

But with so many good books to choose from, sometimes she just needs someone to tell her which book to pull from her ever-growing TBR stack. Today, we'll translate Maria’s book requests into recommendations for reads she can move to the top of her list. 

To see the books we discussed in this episode, be sure to check out our website at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/297.

Connect with Maria on Twitter and Instagram to follow along with what she reads next.

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Readers, today’s guest knows that she’s overlooked some amazing books over the last ten years, but she needs a little help to figure out which ones to pick up now. 

Amber Burns loves discovering something new in the books she reads, and she's also a mood reader. She's looking for stories filled with believable tension and humor, and she loves a good enemies to lovers trope.

When she’s not reading in the best coffee shops of her beloved Philadelphia or exploring the city’s vibrant used bookstore scene, Amber is hosting her podcast, Thank You For Asking, and working as a content creator.

If you’re looking for a mind-blowing book that keeps you up late turning the pages, we hope you’ll find some suggestions in today's episode.

To see a list of those books check out our website at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/296.

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Readers, after a move today’s guest craved community and an outlet for her “pent-up book energy.”

She started a book club in her new neighborhood and quickly discovered getting started wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. Today, Shweta Hegde walks us through the steps she took to form a bookish community and provides some friendly encouragement for you to get that book talk going. 

This was only Shweta's latest move: she grew up in India in a military family—so she moved a lot as a kid. In each new town she sought out that magical place that opened up her whole world: the library.

Readers, prepare to be consumed by bookish nostalgia as Shweta recalls her first experience at the library and the magical realization that she could take a whole stack of books home with her. We also talk about how the library never lost its magic, how Shweta continues to love exploring new worlds in the pages of her books, and Anne helps her find books with characters she can really get attached to. 

To see a list of those books check out our website at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/295.

Our 300th episode is coming soon! At this momentous occasion, we want to celebrate all that’s happened over the past 5 and a half years—and we’re looking for your input.

We’d love to know something YOU learned from the show. Visit whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/learned300 to learn more about how to participate. We can’t wait to hear from you.

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It’s been a long time since we’ve had a teenager on the show—and today’s guest isn’t here to talk about YA. Katie Guenthner has long been reading classics, historical nonfiction, and the most formidable books she can find at the library in order to uphold her status as an “advanced reader.” 

After listening to countless readers wax poetic about reading for escape on WSIRN, Katie realized that's what was missing in her reading life. Now she’s ready to trade Charles Dickens for the lighthearted stories she’s been eschewing for too long. 

Anne recommends books that will help Katie take herself less seriously as a reader and help her welcome more fun reads to her library holds list. And we guarantee today’s conversation takes some turns you are NOT expecting, that you’re really gonna enjoy.  

Visit our website for the full list of books discussed on today's episode and to leave Katie your recommendations for fun reads she should read next.

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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 landscape with practical, actionable, and sometimes (as you’ll hear) tangible tips for tackling her TBR. Then gets her started off by highlighting a few titles from among her digital ebook downloads that Anne think she’s likely to love.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your unread books, we hope you find a solution that works for you in today’s episode.

To see the list of the books we discuss from Caylee's Kindle downloads, including the books Anne recommends, visit the podcast website at https://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/293

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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 out what to do about it.

We discuss ways to retain what you read while reading for the fun of it, and why an “easy” reading experience means something different to every reader.

Check out the show notes post on our website for the full list of books discussed today and a transcript of the show.

One of my go-to tips for any reader who wants to learn more about themselves as a reader is to start a book journal to capture what they’ve read, what they want to read, and other important info that will better their reading lives. That's why I’m thrilled to offer my own beautiful and functional journal.     

The journal is called My Reading Life and it’s available September 21st but you can preorder a copy now and we've got some fun preorder bonuses for those of you who do just that. Learn more about My Reading Life and the bonuses at modernmrsdarcy.com/journal.

Thanks to this week's sponsors:

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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 summer reading means to us, what we’ve read and loved lately, and what we hope to read next before the season is over.

We hope today's collection of bookish conversations inspires you to ask your coworkers, friends, or family members what books they’ve loved recently. And, of course, we hope you find your next great read among the abundance of titles we talk about today. 

See all of the books we discuss or follow along with a transcript on the show notes page.

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