Today’s guest is Bethany Armstrong, a lifelong reader who describes herself as the kind of kid who always had a book in her hand. After studying literature in college, Bethany suffered through a period of bookish burnout. But a surprising thing re-invigorated Bethany’s reading experience... you'll have to listen to find out what it was. 

Today Bethany’s reading life is thriving, and in this episode she and Anne dive into the specifics—they talk about how it’s alllllll about the story, and why it’s important to Bethany to keep the balance in her reading life. And when Bethany shares the book she hates … well, she's sure some of you will want to come after her with pitchforks when you find out what it is.

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles and articles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Bethany should read next!

Connect with Bethany: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

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Today, Anne chats with Mary Gaertner, a listener of the show she met at the Popcast Live pre-party. Mary drove to the Louisville show from Cincinnati, and spent the car ride choosing her What Should I Read Next books - 3 books she loved, 1 book she hated, and what she's reading now. When Mary told Anne her books - especially the book she HATED - Anne knew need to come on the show! So … we made it happen.

Mary and Anne discuss copycat books, strong female protagonists, escapism, genres that left them dubious, the special feeling of reading a unique book for the first time, and more!

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Mary should read next!

Connect with Mary's work at Girls On The Run: Website | Instagram

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

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Today is a What Should I Read Next milestone - our very first mailbag episode! We invited our newsletter subscribers and Instagram followers for their burning questions, and Anne did her best to answer. If you've ever been curious about the inner workings of the WSIRN team, what Anne's typical day looks like, what book changed her life, or how to get on the show yourself, today's episode holds the answers to these questions (and MANY more)!

Click here for the full list of titles discussed in today's episode. 

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

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Today's guest is Amena Brown, a spoken-word poet who writes all her poems to jazz music. When she was a little girl, Amena dreamed of becoming a stand-up comedian, and that doesn’t seem like a stretch! Amena brought a lot of big laughs to the show today, as she and Anne discussed their favorite comedic memoirs by fabulously funny women, pushing the limits of a book’s form, and FEELINGS in books that are hard to find words for. Plus, Anne give a book recommendation… that isn’t a book at all.

Anne also announces the winners of the Deluxe Reading Journal Kit giveaway! A huge thank-you to everyone who has left iTunes reviews in the past few weeks - it really does make a difference. 

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Amena should read next!

Connect with Amena: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Check out Amena's most recent spoken word album.

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

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Today Anne chats with Aaron White, a runner, content developer, INTJ, and married father of two who lives in Minnesota. Aaron's lifetime favorite book will make some of you jump up and cheer, and maybe make some of you yell back at your podcast player (and not in a happy way). Anne and Aaron discuss that AWFUL FEELING when you’ve read what feels like a bunch of underwhelming books in a row, nostalgic fantasy favorites, and how adding a book to your permanent collection can be a Very Big Deal.

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Aaron should read next!

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

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Promoting literacy is a both a paycheck and a free-time passion for today's guest. Emily Kinard comes from a family where it’s completely normal for her grandmother and mom to give her book recommendations, and for her to return the favor. And if she sees you a reading a book she loves on the plane, she won’t hesitate to strike up a conversation about it—because there’s nothing like a good book for bringing people together.

In today's episode, Anne and Emily discuss the etiquette of writing in books, #SlowReaderProblems, bonding with strangers over a good book, reading the book before you watch the movie, and more. 

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Emily should read next!

Connect with Emily: Twitter | Goodreads

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

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WSIRN goes international once more! Today's guest is Charity Dušíková, an art teacher and mother residing in a small town in the Czech Republic*.

Anne and Charity talk about the impact of big life changes on their reading lives, what to do when you HATE your best friend’s favorite book, what it takes for a book that collects dust on your shelves to finally get picked up and read, and more. 

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Charity should read next!

Connect with Charity on her blog. 

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

*Charity asked to add the following footnote: "Ostrava is an industrial city with a history of mining and with a steel industry. Though the mining has ceased, the steel industry is still at work (hence the connection to Detroit). My dear Ostrova has much more to offer than just mining and steel!"

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Anne first met today's guest Shawn Smucker and his wife Maile while they were on an epic cross-country road trip with the whole family, in a big blue bus named Willie. If that sounds like interesting reading, Shawn wrote a book about the experience! It’s called How to Use a Runaway Truck Ramp, and the title is NOT just a metaphor. 

Today Anne delves into the special significance certain books and authors hold for Shawn and his family. Other topics covered include the fascinating art of ghost-writing, journaling's place in the writing life, and multi-sensory reading experiences. 

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Shawn should read next!

Connect with Shawn: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Books

Connect with Anne: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram 

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If you’re a longtime listener, you’ve heard from today's guest Donna Hetchler before—she hopped on episode 64 and chatted with Anne about the unconventional way she tracks what she reads, in our special episode devoted to how 15 WSIRN listeners track their books.

In today's one-of-a-kind episode, Anne investigates Donna's plans for a very special road trip. They also discuss stories with whit and whimsy, books that stand the test of time, and Donna also had a unique request when it came to helping her choose what to read next.

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Donna should read next!

Check out Donna's blog, I Am Your Rabbit, where she chats about entertainment, personal finance, health, and wellness. 

Connect with Anne:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram

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Today's guest is That-Reader-Who-Is-Impossible-To-Recommend-Books-To... because it seems she's read it EVERYTHING! Claire Diaz Ortiz has a very specific favorite genre that makes her go "crazy with excitement", and Anne faces a real challenge finding any titles under that umbrella that Claire hasn't already devoured. 

In this episode, Claire and Anne discuss what it means to be an "obsessive reader" and how to spot others out in the wild, the way our personalities influence how we read, the feeling of hating a book that you know isn't BAD but nevertheless isn't for you, and of course we dive into the genre that makes Claire's heart sing. 

Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think Claire should read next!

Connect with Claire:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Connect with Anne:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WSIRN Instagram

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