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 yourself by listening with caution, or simply setting this episode aside and tuning in next week.

Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and leave a comment telling us what YOU think Chatti should read next: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/146

You can hear more from Chatti on her blog ChattiTheBrave.com, follow her on Instagram @chattithebrave, and browse her GORGEOUS handcrafted body products on Instagram @remyandrose.

If you'd like to be on the show you can apply to be a guest at: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/guest

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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 years that it feels so much better—and is so much more fun—to get these secrets out into the open.

So listen to the short episode, download the intro and first chapter, and get ready to spill YOUR bookish secrets with the hashtag #confessyourliterary sins.

Click here to visit Anne's blog for more info (and to see her favorite illustration from her new book).

And psst—that preorder deadline is August 14: don't miss it! Get the lowdown right here.

Happy listening, and happy reading!

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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' reading life and world travels on his blog, MeserveReserve.com.

If you'd like to be on the show you can apply to be a guest at: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/guest

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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 website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and leave a comment telling us what YOU think Patience should read next: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/143

Check out Patience's blog, and make sure to follow her gorgeous bookish Instagram @inkandfable!

Blog: http://www.patiencerandle.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkandfable

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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 Wikipedia vs the Librarian… she’s weighing in with her opinions.

Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, and leave a comment with a story about YOUR library experiences when you were a child: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/142

You can follow Sarah on Instagram, @sarahthelibrarygirl.

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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! This episode is totally newbie-friendly.

Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode, a friendly comment section, and helpful Enneagram resources: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/141

Ian's website: http://www.iancron.com

Subscribe to Ian's show Typology.

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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 YOU think she should read next, or tell us about your own reading life shifts: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/140

Subscribe to Cindy's podcast Parenting Forward: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/parenting-forward-stories-strategies-solutions-for/id1403686245?mt=2

Connect with Cindy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cindy_w_brandt

Follow WSIRN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatshouldireadnext

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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 own favorite comic strip character: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/139

Follow Anne on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneBogel 

Follow WSIRN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatshouldireadnext

Connect with Eric at www.oneyoufeed.net.

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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 memories: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/138

Follow WSIRN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatshouldireadnext

Want more Gwen and Frank? Listen to The Librarian Is In wherever you get your podcasts! You can also follow Frank's branch on Instagram @jefferson_market_library, or follow NYPL on Twitter @NYPLrecommends.

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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 cancer, death, miscarriage, and other trauma. If these topics are triggering for you, or if you are currently recovering from a loss, please take care of yourself by listening with caution, or simply putting this episode aside for a later time.

Connect with Leigh: Book | Blog | Instagram

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, or to leave a comment letting Jen know what YOU think she should read next: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/137

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